Cleveland Indians: Omar Vizquel trending up; Edgar Martinez over Albert Belle; Vizquel trending up

Baseball writers elected a new class to the Hall of Fame. Cleveland Indians SS Omar Vizquel is trending up, while Albert Belle’s exclusion is magnified.

1. Cleveland Indians fans are fresh off a Hall of Fame enshrinement of Jim Thome, but another trip to Cooperstown may soon be around the corner as Omar Vizquel‘s stock continues to rise.

Players need 75 percent of the vote to be elected by the writer’s association. Vizquel got 42.8 percent in his second year after totaling 37 percent in 2018.

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It should bode well for Vizquel that closers and designated hitters are receiving Hall-of-Fame nods.

The fact that specialization has become something the writer’s have embraced should help Omar’s case.

If you can make the argument that all Edgar Martinez did was hit, you can make stand up for Omar by declaring that he played Hall of Fame defense while also turning himself into a pretty good offensive players throughout the years.

Mariana Rivera was inducted because he was mostly perfect for one inning a game. Martinez hit .300 and didn’t play the field. Well, any ball hit near Omar for about a decade was basically an automatic out.

And if you’re into traditional award to back up his case, he’s got 11 Gold Gloves to back it up.

Still not convinced? Here’s more on why Vizquel should be a Hall of Famers.

2. Speaking of Edgar Martinez…I don’t necessarily disagree with his selection, but the nod from the writer’s only speaks to the snub Albert Belle receives.

Martinez’s career lasted six years longer than Belle’s, but both were in their primes at the same time.

For those who lived and breathed baseball in the mid 1990s, ask yourself: Which hitter was more feared?

Martinez hit .312 for his career, while Belle hit .295.  Both possess a career .933 OPS. Belle had 1,239 RBIS, while Martinez drove in 1,261. Remember, Martinez’s career was six years longer.

Don’t even get me started on Harold Baines. The new Hall of Fame was elected by the veteran’s committee. Belle was among the same pool of players the committee was looking at at the time.

Baines got 12 of 16 votes, while Belle got fewer than five.

3. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds gained little traction on their way to 75 percent. Both are hovering below 60 percent with three years left on the ballot. Their current total suggests there are enough writers who do not want to allow suspected steroid users into the hall.

And the demographic of voters probably won’t change enough in the three years they have left.

Ten years ago, I wouldn’t been at the front lines of the war to keep suspected PED users out of that great small town in upstate New York.

Now, I just find it hard to get all that worked up about it. If Clemens or Bonds were to get in…eh…I’d be indifferent. For me, their suspected PED use would be part of the story you’d talk about when standing in front of the plaques in those hallowed halls.

It would be kind of nice to have the best players of my youth recognized because yeah, it would be cool to stand in front of Mark McGwire‘s plaque, telling my kids the story of the greatest summer baseball’s ever known as he and Sammy Sosa chased down Roger Maris.

It’s always worth remembering McGwire openly kept Androstenedione in his locker. It was reported on late in that 1998 season. There were some articles written about it. Talk radio covered it for a day, and then it was over. Back to the fun.

It wasn’t illegal, as steroids weren’t actually illegal in baseball, as crazy enough as it is to believe.