Omar Vizquel was never a dominating offensive player.
With a career batting average of .273 and never having more than 14 home runs in a season, Vizquel was not an "offensive player" by any stretch of the imagination.
But a defensive player, that he was.
Vizquel's 11 Gold Gloves speak for themselves, and his presence on the baseball field, even now at the tender age of 42 with the Texas Rangers, is still big.
My question is, after 21 major league seasons and a closet full of hardware, should Omar Vizquel be a Hall of Famer?
In this era of baseball, a man with a .273 batting average and 78 home runs won't even get you a contract, nevertheless on a Hall of Fame ballot.
But Vizquel, standing at just 5'9" and 165 lbs., has shown that offense is not the only aspect that should be considered when speaking of the Hall of Fame.
From 1993 to 2001, Vizquel won the AL Gold Glove, ousting shortstops such as Miguel Tejada, Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez.
He won two more in 2005 and 2006 while a member of the San Francisco Giants.
And for a man who isn't an offensive player, he had his bright spots. Vizquel hit over .290 five times, and hit a career high .333 in 1999 with the Cleveland Indians.
Another argument people could have is that he's only a three time All-Star.
Josh Hamilton's election into this year's All-Star game proved that the All-Star voting is a pure popularity contest.
Now it's your turn to tell me what you think. Should a guy who hit .273, but is possibly the best fielding shortstop of the last 25 years be in the Hall of Fame?
Tell me what you think...
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