As Jim Margalus points out, 44-year-old Omar Vizquel figures to pick up 100 plate appearances with the White Sox this season, and perhaps quite a few more than 100. Which would place him in a highly select group that currently consists of only six players: Sam Rice, Carlton Fisk, Bobby Wallace, Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Julio Franco.
Omar Vizquel Likely To Join Exclusive Club
Vizquel will likely join them - he should punch out with 170 under fair-to-optimistic circumstances -- and if he does, he will join Bobby Wallace as the only players to do so while handling the middle infield.
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There are genuine reasons for Vizquel to look at this list and fear the reaper. Perez isn't a bad example, as Vizquel's decent year at the plate came out of nowhere, too. But given that Vizquel has no comparable players in MLB history at this point in his career, he could just as well believe that it's up to him to create a precedent. Sure, baseball has been cruel to 44-year-olds, but there hasn't been a 44-year-old quite like Omar Vizquel.
Exactly. Which is why, in another space a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I nominated Omar Vizquel for the completely made-up-in-my-own-head Wing of Amazing. Which reminds me that it’s probably time for more nominations, before the baseball season starts and I don’t have time for in-my-own-head stuff.
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