In my 2nd “Compare/Contrast” piece I will be comparing and contrasting Omar Vizquel vs Ozzie Smith. These are two of the finest fielding SS to ever play the game and are very similar in many facets of the game so lets get to it.

Player’s Profile

Omar Enrique Vizquel was born on April 24, 1967 in Caracas, Venezuela. Omar was signed by the Seattle Mariners as an amateur free-agent in 1984. Omar made his debut on April 3, 1989against the Oakland Athletics. Omar is entering his 23rd season in 2011 and has played for 5 teams, the Mariners, the Indians, the Giants, the Rangers, and the White Sox.

Osbourne Earl Smith was born on December 26, 1954 in Mobile, AL. Ozzie was drafted by theSan Diego Padres in the 4th round of the 1977 amateur draft. Ozzie made his debut on April 7, 1978 against the San Francisco Giants. He would go onto play 19 seasons with 2 teams, the Padres and the Cardinals.

Career Accolades

In Omar’s 22 year career he has made the postseason in 6 of those years and played in 2 World Series’ in 1995 and 1997 with the Indians but fell short of the title both times. During his career he has made 3 all-star teams in 1998-1999, and 2002, won an amazing 11 Gold Gloves from 1993-2001 and 2005-2006, and led his league in sacrifice hits in 1997, 1999, and 2004-2005. Omar’s best offensive season came in 1999 when he hit .333 AVG, 112 R, 191 H, 36 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 66 RBI, 42 SB, 65 BB, 50 SO, and a .397 OBP.

In Ozzie’s 19 year career he made the postseason in 4 of those years and played in 3 World Series’ in 1982, which was the only one he would win, 1985, and 1987. During his career he made 15 all-star teams from 1981-1992 and 1994-1996, won an incredible 13 Gold Gloves from 1980-1992, and led his league in sacrifice hits in 1978 and 1980. Ozzie’s best offensive season came in 1987 when he hit .303 AVG, 104 R, 182 H, 40 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 75 RBI, 43 SB, 89 BB,36 SO, and a .392 OBP.

Career Numbers

Compare/Contrast

As you can see these two players were very similar in style from an offensive standpoint. Both players were what would be considered ”small ball” type of players who were counted on to sacrifice bunt, steal bases, hit & run, etc., however, both players had their shining moments and were considered decent offensive players that were typical/perfect leadoff, number two, or bottom of the order type of hitters but more than anything they were smart and “gamer” types of performers.

While Ozzie was less likely to strikeout, stole more bases, and hit one of the more memorable homeruns in baseball history in the 1985 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers…

…Go Crazy Folks! Go Crazy!…

…still, when taking everything into consideration I believe Omar was the better all-around offensive player.

It is quite possible that these two players are greatest defensive SS to ever play the game and Omar’s 11 Gold Gloves compared to Ozzie’s 13 is an indication of just how good they actually were. I always felt Ozzie was a little bit flashier than Omar but that flashiness does not translate into being a better defensive player.

From purely a baseball instinct standpoint I felt Omar was the better player when it came to positioning and an overall knowledge of the game. Not to take anything away from Ozzie as he is a legendary player in his own right from a defensive standpoint but again I am going to give the advantage to Omar on the defensive side of things.

Omar simply has the greatest hands for a middle infielder that I have ever had the privilege to see. A true magician with the glove and not to mention textbook perfect from a fundamental standpoint.

Final Thoughts

Well considering I have given the advantage of both offense and defense to the same player I think you can already see who I am going to pick as the better overall player and winner of the 2nd “Compare/Contrast.” The winner, again by a small margin, goes to, in my opinion the greatest fielding SS to ever play the game, “Little O,” Omar Vizquel. These were two classic light hitting, intelligent, students of the game and considering Ozzie is already in the Hall of Fame then the only thing holding Omar back from going into the Hall is the 5 year waiting period when he finally hangs ‘em up which will be a sad day.