The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Vizquel continues to get HOF votes
Omar Vizquel is on an upward trajectory, and that’s a good sign for his Hall of Fame hopes.
Jim Thome — inducted in 2018 — was the first Indians player from the starstudded era of the 1990s to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but if Vizquel keeps getting votes at this rate, the slick-fielding shortstop could soon join Thome.
On Jan. 21, Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were announced as the 2020 class. Players need at least 75% of the vote to get in the hall. Members of the Baseball Writers Associated of America are the ones who vote.
Vizquel had 52.6% of the vote, which was up 10% from 2019. In 2018 — Vizquel’s first year of eligibility — he received 37% during his 24-year career, Vizquel played 11 seasons with the Indians, and amassed impressive stats. He had 2,877 hits, 1,445 runs and 404 stolen bases. The three-time AllStar also won 11 Golden Gloves, including nine straight from 1993 to 2001 — all with the Indians.
“The Hall of Fame sometimes is weird,” Vizquel told The News-Herald in 2019.
“You don’t know what criteria (the voters) are using for different guys. There’s a lot of numbers now that you have to put into consideration. Are you leaning in that direction, or are you leaning to what you saw with your eyes during those years?”
A player can appear on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years. After that, it’s up to the Era Committee if a player fails to get 75% of the vote.
Vizquel now has seven more chances to get into the hall, and considering his percentage of the votes continues to increase it seems as if it will only be a question of when and not if for Vizquel.
“You just have to be patient about it,” he said. “I know there have been some great players who don’t get the voting. You expect it, but it can change from one year to another … We are stuck to what the voters give us, and we can’t do anything about it. All you can do is compare the numbers and see if these guys belong there or not.”