The Cleveland Indians have announced that former Shortstop, Omar Vizquel, will become the 40th member of their club’s Hall of Fame. He will not be going in alone as they will posthumously induct long time broadcaster, Jimmy Dudley.
Vizquel played for the Indians between 1994 and 2004. He was named to three All Star Games and won eight Gold Glove Awards while playing in Cleveland. He would have a WAR of 30.1 with 1,616 Hits and 279 Stolen Bases there.
He may be a fringe Cooperstown Hall of Fame player, but he does deserve merit in the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame and we congratulate him on this accolade.
A ceremony for Vizquel and Dudley will take place on June 21st, prior to their game against the Detroit Tigers.
The Minnesota Twins have announced their latest entrant into their Hall of Fame. Chuck Knoblauch who played Second Base for Minnesota from 1991 to 1997 is the latest addition to their institution which began in 2000.
Knoblauch was a very productive player for Minnesota. He was the 1991 American League Rookie of the Year and won the World Series that year. Four times, he would be selected to the All-Star Game, contributing 1,197 Hits with a .304 Batting Average, 276 Stolen Bases and won two Silver Slugger Awards. He would have a 37.8 WAR as a Twin.
His time in Minnesota ended badly as he requested a trade incurring the wrath of the wins fans. He would win three World Series with his new team, The New York Yankees, but he was never again an All Star, and his defensive skills appeared to leave him completely necessitating a move to Leftfield. Knoblauch was heckled mercilessly upon his return to the Twin Cities and appeared unlikely that he would ever be forgiven.
Saying all of this, Knoblauch was a star while in Minnesota and his contributions while playing with the Twins were worthy of this accolade. The ceremony will take place before a game against the Detroit Tigers on August 23.