| Omar Vizquel | |
|---|---|
 Vizquel with the San Francisco Giants in 2005 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1967-04-24)April 24, 1967 (age 58) Caracas, Venezuela | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 3, 1989, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2012, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .272 |
| Hits | 2,877 |
| Home runs | 80 |
| Runs batted in | 951 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the Venezuelan | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2018 |
| Vote | 77% |
| Election method | Contemporary Committee |
Omar Enrique Vizquel González (Spanish pronunciation:[oˈmaɾβisˈkel]; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is aVenezuelan former professionalbaseballshortstop and coach. During his 24-yearMajor League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for theSeattle Mariners,Cleveland Indians,San Francisco Giants,Texas Rangers,Chicago White Sox, andToronto Blue Jays. In Venezuela, he played forLeones del Caracas.
Widely considered one of baseball's all-time best fielding shortstops, Vizquel won 11Gold Glove Awards, including nine consecutive from 1993 to 2001. Among shortstops, his .9847fielding percentage is the highest all-time and he is the all-time leader in games played anddouble plays turned. Vizquel tiedCal Ripken Jr.'sAmerican League record for most consecutive games at shortstop without an error (95, between September 26, 1999, and July 21, 2000), since surpassed.[1] Vizquel had the most hits leader among players from Venezuela (2,877; 44thall-time) until May 12, 2021, when he was surpassed byMiguel Cabrera.[2] Vizquel has third-most hits all time among shortstops, behindDerek Jeter andHonus Wagner. Vizquel is also the career sacrifice hits leader of thelive-ball era.
At the time of his retirement, Vizquel was the oldest position player in the major leagues, and the only active position player with service time in the 1980s. He is one of only31 players in baseball history to play in Major League games in four decades, and the only one who played shortstop. On May 7, 2012, Vizquel became the oldest player to play at shortstop in Major League history, surpassingBobby Wallace, who played 12 games with the1918 St. Louis Cardinals at the age of 44.[3] Vizquel was the last active player in any of the major North American professional sports leagues to have played in the 1980s.[4]
From 2014 to 2017, he was theDetroit Tigers' first-base, infield, and baserunning coach. He was also manager for theToros de Tijuana of theMexican League, and for theVenezuela national baseball team at the2017 World Baseball Classic. Starting in 2020, various allegations ofdomestic abuse andsexual harassment emerged against him.
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Vizquel started his career with theLeones del Caracas of theVenezuelan Winter League together withTony Armas,Bo Díaz, andAndrés Galarraga. He learned to switch hit fromBill Plummer, who managed Vizquel with the Leones del Caracas in 1986–87 and 1988–89 and later coached and managed the Mariners. Originally signed by the Mariners as anon-draftedfree agent in 1984, Vizquel made his major league debut on April 3, 1989. Batting ninth in the lineup, he went 0-for-3 while making five assists, a double play, and an error in a 3–2 loss to theOakland Athletics.[5] Three nights later, he collected his first career hit in the third inning againstStorm Davis with a single, later scoring on aDarnell Coles double, although the Mariners lost 11–3 to the Athletics.[6]
Vizquel threw outErnest Riles for the last out ofChris Bosio's no-hitter, the second no-hitter in franchise history, on April 22, 1993.[7][8][9] That season, he won his firstGold Glove Award.[4]
At the end of the 1993 season, the Mariners traded Vizquel to theCleveland Indians forFélix Fermín,Reggie Jefferson, and cash.[10] During Vizquel's career in Cleveland, the Indians made it to theWorld Series twice, losing to theAtlanta Braves in1995 and to theFlorida Marlins in1997. Vizquel is a lifetime .250 hitter in 57 postseason games.
Vizquel won nine consecutive Gold Gloves with the Mariners and Indians, starting with his first in 1993 with Seattle and continuing until 2001.Alex Rodriguez broke Vizquel's streak and won the award in 2002. Vizquel won two additional Gold Gloves in 2005 and 2006 with theSan Francisco Giants.
In 1999, Vizquel hit over .300 and scored 100 runs for the first time in his career, finishing the season with a .333 batting average and 112 runs scored for an Indians team that scored a league-leading 1,009 runs. Vizquel hit second in thelineup between lead-off manKenny Lofton and third-place hitterRoberto Alomar in the most productive offensive lineup in Cleveland baseball history, which also included power hittersJim Thome andManny Ramirez.
On August 5, 2001, Vizquel hit a three-run triple in the ninth inning against Seattle to tie the game 14–14, capping a comeback from a 14–2 deficit. The Indians went on to win 15–14 in 11 innings, tying the record for the largest comeback win in major league history. Vizquel reached career highs in 2002 hitting 14 homers and 72 RBI, but his success was interrupted by the need for surgery on his right knee. He tied the2002 All-Star Game 7–7 with an RBI triple in the eighth inning. As a result of his knee injury in 2002 and a follow-up operation, he appeared in only 64 games in 2003. In a game on May 27, 2003, Vizquel had a straight steal of home against theDetroit Tigers. He caught Tigers pitcherSteve Avery by surprise and made it home without a throw. Vizquel returned in 2004 to hit .291 in 148 games. At the end of the season, Vizquel was signed by the Giants as afree agent.
On June 23, 2007, theHispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame inducted Vizquel, along with former GiantsoutfielderMatty Alou, into its Hall of Fame during an on-field,pre-game ceremony. For the 13th and final time, Vizquel finished in the top ten in sacrifice hits, having 14 to finish 2nd along withJohn Maine behindJuan Pierre.
Vizquel underwentarthroscopic knee surgery on February 27, 2008. He started the 2008 season on thedisabled list and played in his first game on May 10. Vizquel stole home for the second time in his career againstOakland Athletics pitcherGreg Smith on June 13.
Vizquel won theHutch Award and theWillie Mac Award, and was a finalist for theHeart & Hustle Award. Only two other players,Dave Dravecky andCraig Biggio, have won more than one of these awards, althoughWillie McCovey himself won the Hutch Award before having the Willie Mac Award named for him.
Vizquel wasGreg Maddux's 3,000th strikeout victim on July 26, 2005.[11]
On January 21, 2009, Vizquel signed a minor league contract with theTexas Rangers[12] and made the team's major league roster. He served mainly as a backup middle infielder. In 62 games with the Rangers, he had 47 hits, 17 runs, 14 RBIs with a .266 batting average and a .660 OPS to go with 27 strikeouts and 13 walks. In each of the three positions (shortstop, third base, second base) he played with the team, he made no errors. He played 27 games at shortstop for 196.2 innings, making 32 putouts and 76 assists with 22 double plays turned; he appeared in 20 games at third base for 101 innings, having five putouts and 22 assists, while making 23 putouts and 49 assists at second base.
On November 23, 2009, Vizquel agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox worth $1.4 million.[13] After making the deal official, former shortstop and White Sox legend (and fellow Venezuelan)Luis Aparicio asked that his number 11 be temporarily "unretired" for Vizquel during the 2010 season,[14] mostly due to the fact that White Sox managerOzzie Guillén — like Vizquel and Aparicio, a Venezuelan shortstop — had rights to #13, the number Vizquel has worn through his career.
On May 25, 2010, Vizquel became the shortstop with the third most hits all time, behindDerek Jeter andHonus Wagner. On June 25, he hit his first home run of 2010, putting him on the short list of players who have hit home runs in four different decades (withTed Williams,Willie McCovey, andRickey Henderson). On November 2, 2010, Vizquel signed a one-year deal to remain in Chicago.[15] On April 3, 2011, Vizquel hit a single for his 2,800th career hit. Despite being well into his forties, Vizquel was still regarded as one of the better defensive shortstops in the game and seen by his former White Sox teammates as one of the most physically fit.[16]
Vizquel signed a one-year minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2012 season. He made the team out of spring training, and made his first appearance on Opening Day, against his former club, the Cleveland Indians. His first start came on April 22, against theKansas City Royals. Vizquel was ejected from a game against theTexas Rangers on May 1, arguing with the home plate umpire from the bench.[17] Later in May, Vizquel hinted at retirement upon the conclusion of the2012 season. Despite being 45 years old and appearing in only five games at that point in the season, he stated, "I feel excited about coming to the ballpark. Maybe not every day, because there are going to be some days you're going to be sore. But I still feel I want to be here. I want to compete."[18]
Against theDetroit Tigers on July 27, Vizquel hit his first two extra-base hits of the season, a double and triple. Vizquel became the third oldest player to hit a triple (behindJulio Franco andNick Altrock) and became the oldest player in major league history to hit a double and a triple in the same game.[19]
In the first game of a day-night doubleheader against the New York Yankees on September 19, Vizquel recorded his 2,874th career hit, passingBabe Ruth for 41st all-time.[20]
In the final game of the 2012 season,Brett Lawrie wore a #17 jersey as opposed to his usual #13. This allowed Vizquel to wear #13, the number he wore through most of his career, when he played his final game on October 3. Vizquel batted 1-for-3, hitting a single in his last at-bat, the 2,877th hit of his career, moving him ahead ofMel Ott for 40th position on the all-time hits list. Vizquel retired after the season and was the last position player born in the 1960s, as well as the last to play in the 1980s, to retire.
On January 30, 2013, theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim hired Vizquel to become a co-infield coach withBobby Knoop, replacingDick Schofield.[21]
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On November 18, 2013, theDetroit Tigers named Vizquel as their new first-base coach, replacingRafael Belliard. Under managerBrad Ausmus, Vizquel also served as the Tigers infield and baserunning instructor.[22] Following the dismissal of Ausmus after the2017 season, Vizquel interviewed for the vacant manager's position but was passed over in favor ofRon Gardenhire.[23]
In November 2017, Vizquel returned to the White Sox organization to manage their Class A-Advanced team, theWinston-Salem Dash.[24] In December 2018, Vizquel was promoted to manage the White Sox' Double-A team, theBirmingham Barons.[25] In 2019, Vizquel was let go by the Barons after an incident between him and a male employee which resulted in an MLB investigation. The incident was first made public in 2021, and initial reports in 2019 said Vizquel and the White Sox parted amicably.[26][27][23]
On December 2, 2019, Vizquel was named the manager for theToros de Tijuana of theMexican League.[28] In July 2021, Vizquel left the team.[29]
Vizquel has been active in community service, having served as an honorary spokesperson for "Young Audiences", an arts education organization in Cleveland, and "Schools Now", which raises funds through the sale of entertainment booklets. Following the1999 Vargas mudslide disaster that killed 25,000 in his native Venezuela, Vizquel volunteered for the relief effort and helped raise over $500,000 for the cause.[30] Vizquel has held various charitable events in downtown Cleveland such as Tribe Jam, where he and some other teammates get together with each other or with retired singers and sing some of their favorite songs.
His 2002 autobiography,Omar!: My Life on and Off the Field, co-written with Bob Dyer,[31] spent four weeks on theNew York Times Best Seller List. It was released in paperback in 2003.
Vizquel married Nicole Tonkin, a Seattle native, in 1992. They have two children, born in 1995 and 2007.[32] They later divorced. Vizquel married Venezuelan Blanca García in July 2014, from whom he divorced on December 22, 2021.[33] In August 2023, after two years of dating, he became engaged to Mónica Gemza, and on March 15, 2025, they married atEl Consejo.[34]
A long-running and well-publicized feud erupted between Vizquel and former teammate and friendJosé Mesa. In 2002, following the publication of his autobiography, Vizquel criticized Mesa's performance in Game 7 of the1997 World Series:
"The eyes of the world were focused on every move we made. Unfortunately, Jose's own eyes were vacant. Completely empty. Nobody home. You could almost see right through him. Not long after I looked into his vacant eyes, he blew the save and the Marlins tied the game."
Mesa reacted furiously, pledging to hit Vizquel upon every subsequent opportunity:
"Even my little boy told me to get him. If I face him 10 more times, I'll hit him 10 times. I want to kill him."[35]
On June 12, 2002, Mesa hit Vizquel with a pitch in the ninth inning. Mesa was not ejected and finished the game.[36] They did not face each other again until 2006; by then, Vizquel was with the San Francisco Giants and Mesa was playing for theColorado Rockies. When Vizquel came to bat against Mesa inDenver on April 22, Mesa hit him again. Meeting three more times in 2006, however, Vizquel escaped being hit by his former teammate, with two groundouts and an RBI single. Vizquel batted .333 (7-for-21) against Mesa before Mesa retired in 2007.[37]
On December 16, 2020,The Athletic reported that Vizquel's wife Blanca (who was filing for divorce) alleged that he physically abused her in 2011 (which was before their marriage) and in 2016. Blanca previously made the allegation in an Instagram live video on October 7, 2020. According toThe Athletic, in 2016, Vizquel was charged with fourth-degree domestic assault after an incident at their home inSammamish, Washington. Blanca told police that her husband pushed her during an argument, causing her to fall and suffer an injury to her shin and multiple broken fingernails. Charges were later dropped at her request. She said in the article that Vizquel coerced her into signing the letter and threatened her with financial retribution.The Athletic also described an incident in December 2011, when Vizquel allegedly strangled his wife during an argument at her sister's home in Alabama. He denied the allegation and claimed that Blanca scratched him, which she denied. The couple ultimately filed a successful joint motion to dismiss charges.[38][39]
In a statement, Vizquel strongly denied the allegations against him.[40] MLB investigated the situation.[41]
The Athletic reported on August 7, 2021, that Vizquel and the White Sox were being sued in theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama by Ashtain O'Neal (a Birmingham Barons batboy) who alleged that Vizquelsexually harassed him, targeting him because of hisautism.[26] Vizquel and the plaintiff reached a confidential settlement in June 2022.[42] In 2023, Vizquel said he regretted some of the words he said to the boy but could not discuss details of the incident due to the settlement. He said he was not suspended by MLB but had not been invited to several events from his former teams.[43]
Vizquel has appeared on balloting for theNational Baseball Hall of Fame since2018, when he received 37.0% of the vote, well short of the 75% required for election, but well above the 5% minimum required to remain on the ballot. His support increased to 52.6% in 2020 before going down to 49.1% in the2021 ballot and then cratering to 23.9% in the2022 ballot, his fifth year on the ballot before going down to 19.5% on his 6th year of eligibility in2023. In2024, his 7th year, he received 17.7% of votes, decreasing by 1.8% from his previous year. A player may appear on the regular ballot, voted on by members of the BBWA, a maximum of ten times, although there are opportunities to get elected to the Hall by other means, as MLB has committees staffed by former ballplayers who can elect someone previously overlooked.
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