JAWS: 36.2 (55.0 Average HOF SS)
Omar Vizquel was signed as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela by the Seattle Mariners in 1984. A slightly-built switch-hitting shortstop, Vizquel’s glove work carried him through the minor leagues. He made his big league debut with Seattle in 1989.
As the primary shortstop in Seattle from 1989-1993, Vizquel was a consistently above-average defender who often struggled mightily at the plate. He won his first Gold Glove in his final season with the Mariners. After the 1993 season, Vizquel was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
In Cleveland, Vizquel’s skill set proved particularly valuable. The Indians teams of that era were marked by incredibly deep offensive lineups and suspect pitching. They could afford to carry Vizquel’s bat in exchange for his steadying presence at shortstop.
From 1995-2001, the Indians made the playoffs six times in seven seasons with Vizquel at shortstop. They won the American League in 1995 and 1997, but were defeated by the Braves and Marlins respectively in the World Series.
By 1996, Vizquel’s offense had developed to the point where he would often flirt with league-average production. Never much of a power hitter, Vizquel managed to leverage good contact skills, control of the strike zone, and improved base running into some decent offensive years along the way.
Vizquel spent 2005-2008 with the San Francisco Giants. By the end of his Giants tenure, he was 40 years old and clearly declining. His defense was still solid– if not what it had been at his peak– but his offense had regressed to the point where he was no longer playable every day. He spent 2009-2012 with the Rangers, White Sox, and Blue Jays before retiring after his age-45 season.
Hall of Fame?
Vizquel is one of the most interesting cases among the current candidates. He received 37% of the vote in his first year on the ballot last year, so there is clearly some staying power here.
In his 24-year career, Omar Vizquel was an 82 OPS+ hitter. He was an above-average offensive player just twice. His entire Hall of Fame case rests on the defensive side of the ledger.
Searching For Context
Only eight players have won more career Gold Gloves than Vizquel’s 11. Of those eight, only Jim Kaat (16x at pitcher) and Keith Hernandez (11x at first base) are not in the Hall of Fame.
By bWAR, Vizquel is the ninth-best defender of all-time. The great Orioles shortstop Mark Belanger is the only player rated higher than Vizquel who is not in the Hall of Fame.
Vizquel Among Shortstops
Proponents of Vizquel’s candidacy say that his defensive prowess is more than enough for him to be considered a Hall of Famer. Their argument typically centers around the number of Gold Gloves, indelible memories of highlight plays, and the reality that other elite defensive shortstops such as Ozzie Smith, Luis Aparicio, and Rabbit Maranville were elected with similarly unimpressive offensive numbers.
Omar Vizquel is not Ozzie Smith. This is the most common comparison drawn by Vizquel’s supporters, and it simply doesn’t work. Smith is the preeminent defensive player in baseball history and is ultimately without peer. Smith was also the better hitter at a career 87 OPS+, and a superior base runner. Vizquel doesn’t have to be Ozzie Smith to be worthy of the Hall of Fame, but that false equivalency is an important point to correct.
Two comparisons that actually work out pretty well for Vizquel are with Aparicio and Maranville. All three produced identical 82 OPS+ marks for their respective careers. Aparicio actually claims a rather significant offensive edge as a result of being a consistently above-average base runner. Vizquel and Maranville rank as similarly average base runners. The three are also very similar in most modern interpretations of their defensive play.
The closest active comparison to Vizquel is probably Los Angeles Angels shortstop, Andrelton Simmons. Simmons will enter his age-29 season as the premier defensive shortstop in baseball, and a career 92 OPS+ hitter. Simmons will almost certainly accrue more defensive value than Vizquel by the time his career has concluded, and could potentially accomplish that feat as soon as this coming season. Unless you believe that Simmons is a slam dunk Hall of Famer in his own right, it probably makes sense to pump the breaks on Vizquel.
Conclusion
I’m generally not a “Small Hall” kind of guy. I prefer to err on the side of generosity. I think the Hall of Fame as an institution benefits from honoring a wide variety of players.
In the end, I can’t quite get there on Vizquel. He would be among the 2-3 least impressive shortstops in the Hall of Fame if he were selected. If you merely aspire to find candidates that clear the lowest bar at their position, you can find dozens of players who could be included. I don’t necessarily believe that any new Hall of Famer has to raise the average bar for his position either, but Vizquel is too far from that mark for me.
I always admired Vizquel’s skills. There are a handful of his defensive plays that I can recall vividly from memory, and I can’t say that for more than maybe a couple of dozen players in history. At the same time, I never felt like Omar Vizquel was a truly elite player at any point during his career.
I don’t want to come off as a Vizquel basher, or dismissive of his accomplishments. Omar Vizquel was a great player. I don’t believe he was a Hall of Famer.
That doesn’t mean we should forget about him either.
