San Francisco Giants Next Hall of Famer Will Be…
Omar Vizquel will also be a first time candidate in 2018 and his candidacy isn’t a sure thing. Cal Ripken Jr. played 33 more games than Vizuel at shortstop. Otherwise, no shortstop in baseball history played more games at the position. However, he is also has a career .688 OPS, so his offensive numbers pale in comparison to the best shortstops in the game. When you compare him to Ozzie Smith, arguably the best defensive shortstop in the game, Vizquel does have him beat offensively.
Vizquel has a similar slashline of .272/.336/.352 to Smith’s .262/.337/.328 with more hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs and RBI’s. Smith, however, has the defensive WAR to put any shortstop to shame. Vizquel was an excellent defensive shortstop, but Smith’s 76.5 WAR to Vizquel’s 45.3 WAR shows just how dominant Smith was on defense.
Even if Vizquel does get enshrined, he will not wear a Giants cap. His time with the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians will take precedence over his short stint in San Francisco.
With such a loaded ballot next season, Vizquel is going to be at risk of not receiving the 5% minimum needed to stay.
Tejada only played one season for the Giants in 2011. His numbers before he came to San Francisco were tremendous, but like Bonds, PED’s have surrounded his legacy as well. He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019 for the first time, so it might take Bonds being voted in before the baseball writers consider Tejada.
Speaking of short stints, Beltran was only with the Giants for a couple months in 2011. However, his numbers will get careful consideration once he decides to retire. Since he is still planning on playing in 2017, the earliest he could even be on the ballot in 2023. With the five year waiting period, Beltran will be eligible the year after Bonds 10th season on the ballot. 10 years in the new maximum for players with over 5% to be on the ballot without being enshrined, so if Bonds never crosses the 75% threshold, Beltran becomes the next most likely that played in San Francisco.
Beltran is one of the best switch hitters to ever play the game and his WAR of 70.5 heading into the 2017 season already puts him ahead of several hall of famers.