Vizquel could be at the end of his days
By john • Jul 20th, 2008 • Category: cleveland indians, major leagues, omar vizquel, san francisco giantsThere hasn’t been much talk of it, possibly because the Giants have been out of the hunt since February, but it’s looking more and more like shortstop Omar Vizquel may be at the end of his leash.
Vizquel who turned 41 earlier this year is struggling though the worst season of his career and with a option worth more then $5 million dollars it’s looking as if his playing days are coming to an end.
In the prime of Vizquel’s career he was a member of the AL Central winning Cleveland Indians hitting for a solid average, posting a high on base percentage and of course providing game changing plays from short. While with the Indians he picked up 8 consecutive Gold Gloves and for his career has a staggering total of 11 at the toughest defensive position on the diamond.
These days even Omar’s once prized ranged is taking a hit along with his already weak bat. Vizquel is hitting just .167/.237/.192 this season and has just 4 extra base hits in 48 games for the Giants. While no one could expect him to steal 30 plus bases like he did as a member of the Indians Vizquel has almost completely stopped running notching just 18 steals over the last year and a half.
While the Giants haven’t forced the issue on Vizquel the recent trade of Ray Durham shows the team is going forward towards a youth movement. Omar is one of only three players over the age of 30 in the Giants lineup, outfielder Randy Winn and catcher Bengie Molina are the other two and both remain the top trading chips for the club.
As his career winds down it’s worth noting that Vizquel has topped 2600 hits for his career ranking 69th on the all time list. In addition his 11 gold gloves are the most at his position and in addition he appeared in three All Star games even with the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra at his position.
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