CLEVELAND — A pair of longtime Cleveland stars once again fell short of being elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
In his penultimate year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot, shortstop Omar Vizquel received 18.4 percent of the vote and 78 votes — short of the 75 percent threshold necessary for election. Slugger Manny Ramirez received 38.8 percent and 165 votes in his final year of eligibility.
Going forward, Ramirez’s Hall of Fame candidacy will be in the hands of the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee, which considers players (from 1980-present) who were not elected during their 10 years of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot.
Among others on the ballot with Cleveland connections, Shin-Soo Choo received 0.7 percent of the vote and Edwin Encarnación received 1.4 percent in their first year of eligibility — both short of the necessary 5 percent to remain on the ballot next year.
Vizquel received 37 percent of the vote in 2018, in his first year on the BBWAA ballot, and had an uptick in both ‘19 (42.8) and ‘20 (52.6). He experienced a precipitous fall in recent years, which followed off-the-field allegations against him.
The Athletic reported in 2020 that Vizquel’s ex-wife, Blanca, accused him of domestic abuse. Vizquel denied the allegations. He was taken into police custody in 2016 following an incident at the couple’s home in Sammamish, Wash., according to The Athletic’s report. Charges were not filed.
In 2021, a former batboy for the Birmingham Barons filed a lawsuit against Vizquel alleging sexual harassment while Vizquel managed the White Sox Double-A affiliate in ‘19. The claims were dismissed when the parties reached a confidential settlement in 2022.
Vizquel received 49.1 percent of the vote in 2021, followed by 23.9 percent (‘22), 19.5 (‘23), 17.7 (‘24) and 17.8 (‘25).
Vizquel played 24 seasons in the Majors from 1989-2012 with Cleveland, the Mariners, Giants, Rangers, White Sox and Blue Jays — including 11 seasons with Cleveland from 1994-2004. The three-time All-Star and 11-time Gold Glove Award winner is considered one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball history. His .9847 fielding percentage at the position ranks first all time, and only Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith won more Gold Gloves (13).
Vizquel earned eight of his Gold Gloves with Cleveland (1994-2001) and was a prominent figure for the club in the 1990s as it earned five consecutive postseason berths (‘95-99) and won a pair of AL pennants (‘95, ‘97). He logged a career .272/.336/.352 slash line, which included a .283/.352/.379 line and 90 OPS+ during his time with Cleveland.
Ramirez was one of the top sluggers of his generation, and his 555 home runs rank 15th in MLB history. He spent the first eight seasons of his career with Cleveland (1993-2000) and was a four-time All-Star en route to becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in slugging percentage (.592). He also ranks fourth in homers (236) and on-base percentage (.407), and ninth in RBIs (804).
Ramirez’s résumé, however, also includes multiple positive tests for banned substances, including in 2009 and ‘11, the former of which he served a 50-game suspension. His voting total this year was his highest in 10 seasons on the ballot, following his decorated 19-year career in which he also spent eight memorable seasons with the Red Sox and won two World Series titles.
Cleveland acquired Choo from Seattle before the 2006 Trade Deadline. He recorded a .292/.383/.469 slash line over parts of seven seasons with the club from ‘06-12, and had a stellar three-year stretch from ‘08-10 (.302/.397/.500, 143 OPS+, 56 homers in 394 games).
Encarnación spent two seasons of his 16-year career with Cleveland from 2017-18, and he hit 70 homers and tallied 214 RBIs with an .848 OPS. The slugger, who belted 424 career homers, was traded to the Mariners ahead of the ‘19 campaign.
