The Campaign Starts Now - Omar Vizquel Belongs in the Hall of Fame

The first half of the 2007 baseball season saw some pretty momentous career achievements - most notably Sammy Sosa's 600th home runs, Frank Thomas' 500th home run and Craig Biggio's 3000th career hit.  These career achievements are considered by most as an automatic ticket to Cooperstown.

And so, most of the talking heads in the sports world have already prepared busts for Thomas, Sosa and Biggio.  But there is one guy virtually no one is talking about.

Omar Vizquel.

Assuming he plays every game between now and the end of the 2007 season at shortstop, Vizquel will have played more games at shortstop than any other player in the history of the game.  And think about this: Vizquel's fielding percentage will be the highest fielding percentage of any shortstop in the history of the baseball. 

And if you compare Vizquel's career statistics with the statistics of the two other "great fielding shortstops" in the Hall of Fame, Luis Aparicio and Ozzie Smith, the only conclusion one can reach is that Vizquel's ticket to Cooperstown is already punched.

Vizquel has played 19 seasons, earned 11 Gold Gloves at shortstop (including one in each league), and has been a 4-time all-star at a position dominated during his career by the likes of Ripken, Rodriquez, Jeter and Tejada.  Arguably, had Vizquel played at the same time as either Aparicio or Smith, Vizquel would probably have been a routine all-star contestant.

Aparicio played 18 seasons, earned 9 Gold Gloves and was a 10-time all-star.  Smith played for 19 seasons, earned 13 Gold Gloves and was a 15-time all-star.  Keep in mind, Smith and Aparicio's all-star appearances are boosted by the fact that shortstops during Smith and Aparicio's were light hitting "glove-only" players.  It wasn't until the 1990s, and in particular in the American League (where Vizquel played), that shortstops became both offensive and defensive stalwarts.

However, comparing Vizquel's career offensive numbers sets Vizquel ahead of both Smith and Aparicio.  Vizquel has a career .274 average, with 2539 career hits.  Compare his  numbers with Aparacio (.262, 2677 hits) and Smith (.262, 2460 hits), and he compares very favorably with his contemporaries.

Vizquel has 840 career RBI, 75 home runs, 407 doubles, a .340 on-base-percentage, and 3309 total bases.  Vizquel's equal or exceed those of Aparicio (791 RBI, 83 HR, 394 2B, .311 OBP and 3504 total bases) or Smith (793 RBI, 28 HR, 402 2B, .337 OBP, and 3084 total bases).

But Aparicio and Smith got into the Hall of Fame for their defensive skills, not their offensive prowess.  Vizquel's defensive resume rivals both Aparicio and Smith's.

Vizquel has a .984 career fielding percentage, committing 176 errors, and turning 1,612 double plays.  Vizquel has recorded 3,851 put outs and 7,152 assists. 

Aparicio has a .972 fielding percentage, committed 366 errors, turned 1,553 double plays, recorded 4,548 put outs and 8,016 assists.   

Smith has a .978 fielding percentage, committed 281 errors, turned 1590 double plays, recorded 4,249 put outs and 8,375 assists.

There are three components to the game of baseball: hitting, pitching and defense.  Most baseball fans (and most sports writers) focus solely on hitting and pitching, which is understandable, given these are the most popular aspects of the game of baseball.

But defense is equally important, and the best defensive players deserve recognition in the Hall of Fame, just as the best hitters and pitchers are routinely recognized in Cooperstown.  Aparicio and Smith are Hall of Famers because of the way they played shortstop.  Soon, Aparicio and Smith have to be joined by Omar Vizquel, one of the best fielding shortstops in the history of baseball.

Comments

[Sam Stevens]

Here, here! Omar is not only a great baseball player, but also a wonderful, artistic and classy human. If only more guys in sports were like Omar!

[Guillermo Pino]

not only vizquel broke the record of most games at SS, but also the DP record for a SS with 1590 own by Ozzie , and no one talk about that milestone what a shame!! those two records are so hard to accomplished .... but anyhow nice article!!! hope he can make it to the HOF, Vizuel is so much fun to watch everyday!! just see the videos at MLB.com there's like 20 videos of vizquel's best plays in 2007.....