Omar Vizquel’s Golden Return to Cleveland

It was a special night at Progressive Field as the city of Cleveland welcomed back past Indians great, Omar Vizquel…

On the face of it, Tuesday night was just another game at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario on a late June evening. At the heart of it, Tuesday night at Progressive Field was a celebration of the Indians’ past.

One of Cleveland’s all-time local heroes, Omar Vizquel, was home.

Omar was an integral part of the great Indians teams of the late ‘90s that consistently were in contention for World Series titles.

These were teams that won over the hearts of a town yearning for a contender. Before this era of Indians baseball, the last time the Indians had won any sort of title, it was 1954, 41 years before Omar Vizquel and the Indians would make it to their first World Series appearance in four decades.

Even though throughout the next decade the Indians would never fulfill their dreams of winning the big game, this team and its stars would endear themselves to the city.

The fans responded by selling out an all-time record 455 straight games, and buying up millions of dollars in memorabilia with their favorite Indians players’ name on it.

On a team full of sluggers that would become Hall of Fame worthy, it is hard to believe that the smallest player on the team would come out of the group with the most appreciation of the fan base. He is also the one player from those teams that will likely have his number retired by the organization.

As these Indians teams began to split apart, guys like Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome all would leave town for the big money that free agency afforded them. They left town, breaking many Clevelander’s hearts.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland faithful continued to latch on to “Little-O.” He was a representation of the city. He was the little guy fighting to be recognized for his immense talents, just as the city was fighting to revitalize itself and be rid of the “Mistake by the Lake” moniker.

Even though Vizquel was in the midst of winning his 11 Gold Gloves, second only to the great Ozzie Smith, he had to fight to be considered one of the leagues best shortstops. He played in a new era of baseball, where 6’5” shortstops that could hit for power were coming into the league. He was the old guard, a shortstop known for his glove and not his bat.

Because of this, he only appeared in three All-Star games, as the fans around the league voted for the new “sexy” stars like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Nomar Garciaparra.

He would continue to be underappreciated, but that didn’t matter to the fans in Cleveland who continued to wear his jerseys and support him as their own.

Defensively, we all know of Vizquel’s tremendous talent.

He has an uncanny ability to position himself in the right place at the right time, and to always get the runner by half a step. He utilizes great footwork and a pair of soft hands as his tools.

It is said that he had learned to play this way because he had no glove to use when growing up in Venezuela. He had to learn to be able to field the ball without the glove to make the play. Thus, that is why he has also become known as the best player at the bare handed grab and throw to get runners.

Vizquel currently holds the highest career fielding percentage by a shortstop with more than 1,000 games played with a .984 mark. He also holds three of the top seven single season fielding percentages by a shortstop and as said before, has won 11 Gold Gloves. He is the first player in history to win multiple Gold Gloves in both the American and National Leagues.

Offensively, Vizquel is not as recognized, but that does not mean that he was not a great hitter.

He was a great two-hole hitter behind another Indians great, Kenny Lofton. The two of them at the top of the lineup put all sorts of pressure on a pitcher as the big bats were coming to the plate.

Kenny would get on first base and Omar was able to work the pitcher to allow Kenny to steal, or with his great bunting ability, he would try one of his great drag bunts to attempt for a bunt single while advancing the runner.

Vizquel also had a knack for clutch hits. I have etched into my mind his ability to line a ball down into either corner for a double or triple while clearing the bases for a big hit.

The biggest came during the 2001 season, when the Indians completed the biggest come from behind win in Major League history. Down 14-2 in the seventh inning against the Mariners, Vizquel had the tying hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. It was a bases clearing triple into the right field corner. The Indians would go on to win the game in the eleventh inning, 15-14.

Overall, Vizquel has a respectable .274 career batting average, over 2,600 career hits, which ranks him eighth all-time for switch hitters, over 400 doubles, and 382 stolen bases.

All together, the debate roars on whether he will be Hall of Fame worthy or not, but this is of no concern to Vizquel, who continues to focus on his playing career and helping the Giants win.

At 41 years old, Vizquel is clearly slowing down, he was hitting .171 entering Tuesday night, and had knee surgery in spring training. Though, he says he still feels young inside and wants to continue playing into next season.

That should not surprise us. Vizquel is a battler. He has been battling for 20 years, why stop now?

So when he was greeted by 29,000 of his closest friends on Tuesday night, that is why he received a full minute standing ovation as he was announced to the crowd. He is one of them. Someone who will always try for more and fight for what he wants.

And what he wants is to continue playing the game he loves. That’s the way it should always be.