Omar Vizquel Wants to Manage

Is it possible that the grizzled, older managers of our youth have fallen by the wayside and been replaced by scrappy, younger skippers?

Well, if the recent successes of Kirk Gibson, Robin Ventura and Don Mattingly are any indication...the answer might be "yes". 

That in mind, is it surprising to anyone that eleven-time Gold Glover Omar Vizquel has his sights set on managing one day?  And is it surprising that the Toronto Blue Jays infielder made his desire to be a big league skipper known via Twitter?

Probably not.

The 24-year veteran was doing what he does often, answering fans via the opular social media website when someone asked, well...you can read the exchange below.

 

The 45-year-old Vizquel has been pretty much been hanging on as a mentor so none of this is all that shocking.  More shocking will be the number of teams that end up passing on the opportunity to have this future Hall of Famer (yes, I said it) take the helm of their clubhouse.

Omar Vizquel Blasts Airline on Twitter

People complain about airlines all the time.  Matter of fact, it's hard to go to a comedy club and not hear some hackneyed bit about flying.

But for a Major Leaguer to complain about the service...and for that Major Leaguer to be Omar Vizquel?  Something must've really happened to the mild mannered infielder for him to Hulk out on Twitter Sunday night.

That, or he learned a little something something after spending two seasons in Chicago with Ozzie Guillen.

The "whole world" Omar?  Really?!?

Now, I'm not going to doubt the Toronto Blue Jays infielder as dude will fly more in the next two months than I have in my entire life...but, man, that's harsh.

My guess is that this all stems from the future Hall of Famer's love affair with marsupials.  Thoughts?

The Season That Was...September (and October)

When the calendar page turned to September...baseball had already seen five no-hitters (two of them perfect games), Ken Griffey Jr. call it quits and Manny Ramirez end up in Chicago.

What could the last month of the season have in store for its fans?

Early on, Chicago White Sox infielder Omar Vizquel became the leader in games played among foreign born players. More than Hall of Famers Tony Perez (2777) and Luis Aparicio (2601). More than octogenarian Julio Franco (2527). And now...more than the previous record holder Palmeiro.

And for the curious out there, Vizquel is 17th on the all-time list.

Omar Vizquel Sets Another Record

Omar Vizquel entered Monday's contest tied with Rafael Palmeiro (2831) and nestled between Harold Baines (2830) and Al Kaline (2834) on the all-time games played list.

He left with 2832 and now sits alone at 17th all-time for his career.

A quick scan of the 16 names ahead of him (Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski and Hank Aaron among others) shows that Vizquel has a long way to go until he sits atop the leaderboard.

But if you focus on that and the 5-4 extra innings victory by the "Pale Hose" you miss the true story. Forgotten by all (including Vizquel according to some reports) was the fact that the 43 year-old infielder has now played in the most games by any foreign born Major Leaguer.

More than Hall of Famers Tony Perez (2777) and Luis Aparicio (2601).

More than octogenarian Julio Franco (2527).

And now...more than the previous record holder Palmeiro.

"It's hard to believe through all these years and talking about playing so many games I look back on my career and it looks like I just started playing five years ago," Vizquel said to ESPNChicago.com following the game. "All of a sudden you find yourself with a lot of games on you, a lot of hits, a lot of records and I'm feeling very proud because I never thought I'd be in the big leagues for this long. And it's been a very great road for me."

The 11-time Gold Glove winning Vizquel has made his fair share of noise in the last couple of seasons.

With a career fielding percentage of .985, Vizquel is head and shoulders better than Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith (.978). He is also the all-time leader in double plays made while playing shortstop.

On May 25, 2008, Vizquel became the all-time leader in games played at shortstop, passing the afore mentioned Aparicio. Currently, the two sit at 2687 and 2581.

And not to keep piling on Aparicio, but on June 25, 2009, Vizquel became the all-time hit leader among Venezuelan born player. As of right now...he is at 2784. Aparicio sits at 2677.

Is pretty safe to call Omar Vizquel a Hall of Famer, right? Let me know what you think!

Ozzie...Omar. Omar...Ozzie.

The baseball free-agent signing period has kicked off, gang!

After days of speculation, the "will he" or "won't he" talk of whether or not Omar Vizquel would join the Chicago White Sox has come to a close.

Wait...Omar Vizquel?!?

Anyway.

On Monday, Vizquel inked a 1.375 million dollar deal with the Southsiders and along with it...joined his longtime friend (and fellow Venezuelan), Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen. The 42 year-old shortstop will will be expected to serve as a mentor to White Sox budding stars Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham.

Last year in Texas, Vizquel hit .266 with one homer and 14 RBIs in 62 games. In 207 chances, he committed no errors.

Here at The Hall, discussion about the Cooperstown-bound shortstop has been as bountiful as the mustaches that overtook the Brewers clubhouse in 1982! This season alone, there has been talk about Vizquel's Hall of Fame credentials, as well as hit by hit coverage of his assault on Luis Aparicio's all-time hit mark.

Shortly after Vizquel topped Aparicio and became the all-time hit leader among Venezuelan boen players...I asked Rangers reliever CJ Wilson if his former teammate was the best shortstop ever.

"I think with the 'best shortstop ever' discussion, it all comes down to Ozzie Smith versus Omar," Wilson said of the 11-time Gold Glove award winner.

The season that was...June

During batting practice in 1988, Randy Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines. Because of Johnson’s height, Raines exclaimed, "you're a big unit!"

Suffice it to say, the nickname stuck.

At 82 inches tall (or 6’10”), “Unit” is the tallest 300 game winner in history. Before he reached the milestone on June 4, Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens and Gaylord Perry shared the distinction at 6’4”.

Another fun fact, since I assume you all know about the Cy Young Awards and strikeout totals, Johnson is one of only two (Jamie Moyer is the other) players born prior to the Kennedy assassination.

Coindentally…the same number of Major Leaguers (two) were born after Johnson made his big league debut September 15, 1988.

Continuing with the trend of sluggers hitting the 300 home run milestone, Johnson’s former teammate Lance Berkman reached the milestone June 13 against Arizona. Berkman ended 2009 with 313 home runs…good for sixth all-time among switch-hitters.

Mickey Mantle leads the pack with 536. The other switch-hitters with 300 or more homers are Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (416), Chili Davis (350) and Reggie Smith (314).

Four nights later, the Astros saw their catcher Ivan Rodriguez squat behind the dish and caught his record-setting 2227th game against the very team that signed him as a 16 year-old back in 1988...the Texas Rangers.

Unfortunately, he had one of his worst nights in memory in front of his old team by going one-for-five, made two throwing errors and saw the Rangers steal three bases.

Yikes.

"I-Rod" is the all-time leader in hits among catchers and sitting at 2618, it remains to be seen if he's got enough in him to be the first to see 3000. As it is...he's also ranked first all-time among catchers in doubles, putouts and with his 13 Gold Gloves and 14 All-Star Games, he's poised to enter Cooperstown as the greatest catcher ever.

A week later…on the same night the "King of Pop" died...Omar Vizquel became the "Venezuelan Hit King".

I know, I know...dumb seque. But the fact remains...with a first inning single, Vizquel surpassed Luis Aparicio on the all-time list with 2678 hits. He closed out the season with 2704.

One of the fun things about previewing milestones at the start of the season was watching them unfold throughout the year.

With a 4-2 victory over the Mets on June 27, Mariano Rivera become only the second member of the 500 save club.

Trevor Hoffman is the all-time leader with 591 saves, so it remains to be seen if Rivera (who ended the season at 526), can actually reach whatever record ends up being set. What is certain is this...it's going to be a long, long time before someone gets near either one of them.

As it stands, the next active reliever is Billy Wagner with 385 and after that...you're looking at Troy Percival with 358. Thing is, Wagner might not hit 386 and Percival might stay stuck at 358 since both have been hampered with injuries and retirement might be on the horizon for both of them.

Who has a chance at joining Hoffman and Rivera in the 500 Club?

Even though he notched a quarter of his career total of 243 saves in one season, Francisco Rodriguez is young enough at 27 to give them a run for their money.

So congrats to Rivera as you continues to secure his spot in Cooperstown, and let's all meet back here in eight years to see where K-Rod is at.

Earlier in the week, we looked at April and May. As you can probably guess…July is next.

Meet the Venezuelan Hit King

On the same night when the "King of Pop" died...Omar Vizquel became the "Venezuelan Hit King".

I know, I know...dumb seque. But the fact remains...with a single in the first, Vizquel surpassed Luis Aparicio on the all-time list with 2678 hits.

"Finally. Wow. I feel 100 pounds lighter," Vizquel told reporters following the game. "I can go out and enjoy the game again and forget about everything else."

Hopefully, this all but cements Vizquel's case for the Hall of Fame.

A night of milestones in Texas

If you've been following The Hall at all, you know that the Lonestar State was poised to play host to to two milestones Wednesday.

First...Astros catcher Ivan Rodriguez did his part and squatted behind the dish for his record setting 2277th game.

Unfortunately, he had one of his worst nights in memory in front of his old team by going one-for-five, made two throwing errors and saw the Rangers steal three bases. Yikes.

"That happens," he said following the game. "I got a base hit...so it wasn't as bad a game as what you're saying."

Across the diamond, Omar Vizquel did his part by getting his first hit (a fifth inning single) since June 7th. With that hit, he tied Luis Aparicio's mark of 2677...the most by a Venezuelan born player.

"I never thought I'd be involved in a situation like that," Vizquel said. "So many good players have come from our country."

With only 11 starts at short this season...it is unknown when we'll actually see Vizquel break Aparicio's mark.

Ozzie vs. Omar...who ya got?

I realize that in the wake of Randy Johnson’s 300th win, Tom Glavine being released by the Braves and John Smoltz poised to make his return to the big leagues…this isn’t the sexiest Hall of Fame discussion.

But did you know that Texas Ranger Omar Vizquel is one base knock away from tying Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio for most hits by Venezuelan born player?

Yeah…I didn’t think so.

I was watching the Rangers take on Boston last weekend and as they talked about Vizquel closing in on Aparicio on the “most hits by a Venezuelan” list (they made no mention of him closing in on “most hits by a shortstop”), I was reminded of a similar situation almost two years ago.

You see, then, I was watching the Red Sox face off against the Giants and the announcers were talking about whether or not Vizquel is a Hall of Famer. Without hesitation, all three of the announcers agreed that he would make it in on the first ballot.

They compared his numbers (both offensive and defensive) to Ozzie Smith, talked about Vizquel’s 11 Gold Gloves (9 consecutive at one point) and again, compared his to Ozzie’s thirteen in a row.

They quoted former Cardinals skipper Whitey Herzog (who once said something along the lines of…“Smith might not knock in 100 runs in a season, but he’ll save you that many”), and even had a highlight reel cut together showing how both he and Vizquel saved runs for their respective teams.

As mentioned, the most compelling case for Vizquel’s enshrinement is the similarity between his numbers and those of Smith.

Both are slap hitters with okay career averages (.273 for Omar, .262 for Ozzie). Both of them amassed a good amount of hits (2676 and counting for Omar, 2460 for Ozzie). And both of them had some success in the post season.

I know it’s a long shot and not likely, but should Vizquel play until he is 45 (he is 42 now and a backup in Texas), he’ll be closing in on 3000 and virtually a lock for Cooperstown.

Not bad for a guy who, since 1989, has been in and out of the lineup solely for his glove, right?

When the Hall came calling for Carlton Fisk (a second ballot guy only because of the competition he was up against), everyone cited his longevity at one position, so is it safe to say the conversation will be the same for Vizquel?

He is currently the leader for games played at shortstop and is the career leader for being part of most double plays than any other fielder.

Not too shabby.

Fielding percentage…how ‘bout it?

This is something the writers will look at…and, frankly, they should.

The awe inspiring fielding and sheer volume Gold Gloves should speak for themselves (sorry Jim Kaat), but when push comes to shove…the Hall will look to those already enshrined for a basis of comparison.

Vizquel has a career .985 fielding percentage at shortstop…nice!

Compare that to the slick fielding “Wizard of Oz” (.978) and “Little O’s” inclusion is starting to look pretty good. Compare it to Aparicio (.972) and Pee Wee Reese (.962) and you should start reserving room for Omar’s plaque.

At one time, he also shared the American League record for consecutive errorless games at shortstop (95) with Cal Ripken, Jr.

This guy is a no brainer, right?!?

Wrong.

The biggest reason why Omar Vizquel won’t get elected into the Hall of Fame on his first try is that he will be greatly overshadowed by the other names on the ballot.

There just won’t be enough votes to go around.

When Vizquel is eligible for Hall consideration he could very well be going up against Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Jim Thome, Trevor Hoffman and Gary Sheffield.

Honestly, I could probably add a dozen more names to that list…but not all of them would be as Hall worthy. Furthermore, you can’t rule out long time ballot standards getting their fair share of the votes.

Hell, Bruce Sutter finally made it in on his thirteenth attempt and it took Jim Rice fifteen tries!

You can look at Omar Vizquel and see that he is the only shortstop to come around in some time that is Hall worthy. However, if you figure that when it is time for his name to come up for selection, Derek Jeter will have staked his claim as the “Best Shortstop Ever” and the gold standard for the position will be a 6’3” pretty boy with 300 career bombs.

Not a 5’9” Venezuelan who couldn’t get his hands on Minka Kelly’s ass if he paid for it on eBay.

But I digress.

When it is all said and done, Omar Vizquel will find his way into Cooperstown. Not on the first ballot like Ozzie Smith…and maybe not even on the fifth or sixth ballot like Luis Aparicio. Hopefully, and unlike Pee Wee Reese, he’ll be there before the Veteran’s Committee gets its say.

Any way you slice it…he was better than all three and deserves his spot on the wall.

Hooray for Saturday!

A lot of kids growing up get excited for the normal made up holidays…Valentine’s Day, Halloween, the last day of school. Me…I always got jazzed up about the day the Hall of Fame announcement was made.

Sure, it doesn’t have some fancy name or some wing at the Hallmark store dedicated to it, but it was, for a couple hours in January…my Christmas.

Well, TECHNICALLY, Christmas was Christmas…but you get the idea.

Then, after six months of thinking about it, we get what amounts to New Years Eve, a relative’s wedding or basically any other “holiday” where someone stands up and makes some clichéd speech about what an honor it is and how they never thought they would make it.

This weekend, we get the pleasure of hearing what I am sure is going to be another in a long line of self indulgent speeches when Rich “Goose” Gossage takes center stage.

Gossage is a guy who went from 33% of the vote to close to 86% in eight years. Somehow he convinced 300 votes that all of a sudden he was good enough to become the next great reliever to be inducted into the Hall. Apparently he wasn’t only a top notch closer…he’s a wizard! Heck, he’s not even the lone “Goose” to be elected into Baseball’s hallowed halls!

In my estimation, he was on the right ballot at the right time.

For some reason, voters don’t seem to want to enshrine Jim Rice or Andre Dawson and they live by some wacky code that SOMEONE needs to be voted in. But in an age of “did he” or “didn’t he”…the Hall wasn’t about to open its doors to the likes of Mark McGwire or Tim Raines. I get it.

Which brings me to what I saw recently on ESPN. Buster Olney and Buck Showalter were given five names of current Major Leaguers and were asked what they thought about their chances.

The names were no-brainers…Mike Mussina, Billy Wagner, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and Gary Sheffield. Let’s break ‘em down.

MIKE MUSSINA

To me, “Moose” is an interesting case. On paper, you see a HUGE winning percentage (.637), a brilliant 263 and 150 record and close to 2800 Ks. His career ERA is 3.69 and one could argue that had he not toiled for more than half of his career in Baltimore…he would be as much of a Hall candidate as Tom Glavine. HOWEVER, Glavine had five seasons with more than 20 wins. Mussina, while he’s hit double digits in wins seventeen straight years, has yet to eclipse 20. The Cy Young award has eluded Mussina as well. Unfortunately, six top five finishes and no hardware doesn’t make for the best Hall of Fame case. Showalter, said Mussina is a Hall of Famer…Olney disagreed. I’m with Olney on this one. Outside of wins and consistency, and this sounds stupid to say, Mussina just hasn’t SHOWN me anything spectacular.

BILLY WAGNER

Wagner should eclipse Eckersley on the all-time saves list this season and enter next year’s campaign firmly in fifth place all-time, third on the active list. That being said, he’s still WELL behind Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith AND is a guy who has never led the league in saves. By comparison, Hoffman has only led the National League twice, but he has nine seasons with more than 40 saves. Rivera has led the American League three times and has six seasons with more than 40 saves. Wagner has two. I’m not saying that Wagner isn’t a premier closer…I’m just saying that if Lee Smith can’t get a sniff at a time when Bruce Sutter, Eckersley and Gossage are…Billy Wagner is going to have a rough time competing for the writer’s affection with the likes of Hoffman and Rivera still out there. As for Olney and Showalter…they split again. Showalter was a “maybe”, while Olney “agrees” with me.

JIM THOME

I’ve made the case for Thome and over the last year…he hasn’t done anything to make me feel otherwise. He’s got 526 home runs and barely 2000 hits. He’s going to have to do PLENTY more to sway me. Again, Olney and I are “no” votes…Showalter, predictably, was a “yes”.

OMAR VIZQUEL

Again, this is a drum I’ve beaten before and is one of those guys that I LOVE to bring into the conversation when it presents itself. Not surprisingly, Olney, Showalter and I agree across the board with “Sheik Omar”. As much as I would hate to see him hang it up…I think Omar needs to ride off into the sunset before he ruins his storied career.

GARY SHEFFIELD

Now…here’s a guy who, in all honesty, deserves his own column. Does he pass the smell test? Not sure…he plays alongside some FANTASTIC players. Matter of fact, he’s been overshadowed by plenty of them, but has put up some amazing numbers. A .294 career average, 2570 hits, 487 home runs and 1600 RBI puts him in a similar league as Willie McCovey, Mike Schmidt, Willie Stargell and Ernie Banks. HOWEVER…that’s where some of the similarities end unfortunately since each of the afore mentioned have bettered Sheff’s three top five MVP finishes by taking home the award at least once. I could go on and on about Sheffield (and I might just do that in the near future), but it is interesting to note that the nine time All-Star only once led the league in a major statistical category…he batted an NL best .330 in 1992. So…what did the ESPN experts think? Olney said “yes” and Showalter, for some reason, disagreed. Me? I agree with Buster…not Buck.

So what about you? I’ll put each up for vote…and you tell me what you think!

Stay classy, San Francisco

Perhaps they learned from their mistakes last Fall (doubtful) or maybe they just like Omar Vizquel better (probable)...but the San Francisco Giants handled Omar Vizquel's record setting accomplishment yesterday like champs.

When Vizquel was inserted into the lineup against the Florida Marlins...he trotted out to shortstop like he had 2,582 times before. But this time, he stood alone. Metaphorically AND literally.

The spotlight was his to savor and he was saluted.

Now, and only because Vizquel is in the news, the debate will surely begin as to whether or not Sheik Omar is a lock for the Hall of Fame. I've stated MY case, but with the throng of other candidates surely to be up for consideration at the same time Vizquel comes due...the outlook is murky when you look at the first ballot.

One point to ponder...EVERY player that leads their position in games played is in the Hall of Fame sans two. Omar...obviously.

The other?

Barry Lamar Bonds.

Sheik Omar!

I realize this isn’t the sexiest Hall of Fame discussion surrounding the San Francisco Giants…but here goes.

I was watching the Red Sox take on (and beat) the Giants on FOX today and the announcers starting talking about whether or not Omar Vizquel is a Hall of Famer. Without hesitation…ALL three of the announcers agreed that he would make it in on the first ballot.

They compared his numbers (both offensive and defensive) to Ozzie Smith. They talked about the Gold Gloves (Omar has 11…9 straight at one point, compared to Ozzie’s thirteen consecutive). They even had a highlight reel cut together showing how both of them saved runs for their respective.

During the telecast, they even quoted former Cardinals skipper Whitey Herzog, who once said something along the lines of…“(Smith) might not knock in 100 runs in a season, but he’ll save you that many”. That could probably be said of Vizquel as well.

They did their homework. Good work, FOX statisticians!

As mentioned, the most compelling case FOR Vizquel’s enshrinement is the similarity between his numbers and those of Smith. Both slap hitters when okay career averages (.274 for Omar, .262 for Ozzie). Both of them amassed a good amount of hits (2500+ for Omar, 2460 for Ozzie). Should Omar play until he is 45 (he is 40 now), he’ll be at 3000 and virtually a LOCK for Cooperstown. Not bad for a guy who is in the lineup solely for his glove.

Omar SHOULD wind up his career as the leader for games played at shortstop. Not too shabby. When the Hall came calling for Carlton Fisk (a second ballot guy ONLY because of the competition he was up against)…EVERYONE cited his longevity at one position. Vizquel is already the career leader for being part of most double plays than any other fielder.

Yes, I, too was amazed that someone keeps track of that shit.

Fielding percentage…how ‘bout it? This is what the writers will look at. The awe inspiring fielding and Gold Gloves SHOULD speak for themselves (sorry Jim Kaat), but when push comes to shove…the Hall will look to those already enshrined for a basis of comparison.

Omar has a career .984 fielding percentage…nice! Compare that to the slick fielding “Wizard of Oz” (.978) and Omar’s inclusion is starting to look pretty good. Compare it to Luis Aparicio (.972) and Pee Wee Reese (.962) and you should start reserving room for Omar’s plaque. Omar also shares the American League record for consecutive errorless games at shortstop with Cal Ripken, Jr.

This guy is a no brainer, right?!?

Wrong.

The biggest reason why Omar Vizquel DOESN’T get elected into the Hall of Fame is that he will be GREATLY overshadowed by the other names on the ballot…there just aren’t enough votes to go around. When Omar is eligible for Hall consideration he could very well be going up against Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Curt Schilling, Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa (I know…I know) Trevor Hoffman and Jeff Kent.

Honestly, I could probably add a dozen more names to that list…but not ALL of them would be as Hall worthy (and each of them is) as the ones I mentioned. Furthermore, you can’t rule out long time ballot standards getting their fair share of the votes. Hell, Bruce Sutter FINALLY made it in on his thirteenth attempt!

Granted, add Vizquel’s name to the above list and he is the only shortstop. HOWEVER…you should figure that when it is time for his name to come up for selection, Derek Jeter should have staked his claim as the “Best Shortstop EVER” and the gold standard for the position will be a 6’3” pretty boy with 300 career bombs. Not a 5’9” Venezuelan who couldn’t get his hands on Jessica Biel’s ass if he paid for it on eBay.

But I digress.

When it is all said and done…Omar Vizquel will find his way into Cooperstown. Not on the first ballot like Ozzie Smith…maybe not even on the fifth or sixth ballot like Luis Aparicio. But rather, thanks to the Veteran’s Committee…he’ll probably end up getting in like Pee Wee Reese did.

It’ll be a shame too…he was better than all three.