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White Sox, Omar Vizquel Part Ways

By Connor Byrne | November 20, 2019 at 9:24pm CDT

Former major league shortstop Omar Vizquel spent the previous two seasons managing in the White Sox’s minor league system, but he and the organization have parted ways on amicable terms, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

After his outstanding playing career came to an end in 2012, Vizquel transitioned to coaching. He wound up spending a combined five seasons as a major league assistant with the Tigers and Angels before joining the Chicago organization prior to 2018. Vizquel managed the White Sox’s Single-A club that season, earning Carolina League Manager of the Year honors, and then worked as their Double-A skipper this year.

It’s unclear why Vizquel and the White Sox are now moving in different directions, but the team’s director of player development, Chris Getz, told Merkin that Vizquel was “a positive influence” during his time with the organization. However, the two sides felt “it was time to go separate ways.”

Vizquel has garnered major league managerial consideration in the past, having interviewed with the Tigers in 2017 prior to their selection of Ron Gardenhire and the Angels in 2018 before they chose Brad Ausmus. Eight teams have sought new skippers this fall, but it doesn’t seem Vizquel has interviewed with any of those clubs (at least not for a managerial job). The Pirates are the only team left without a manager.

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67 Comments

  1. Rallyshirt

    6 years ago

    This came as a surprise.

    3
    Reply
    • pplama

      6 years ago

      Indeed.
      It’s very surprising when the Sox make the correct move with their coaching staffs.

      Reply
      • chitown311

        6 years ago

        K.

        Reply
      • bravesfan

        6 years ago

        Riddle me how this is the correct move? No reason was given, he was just named manager of a year last year, and he’s been a big influence. Maybe he has family issues or something he’s concerned about? Don’t be “that guy”

        Reply
      • mohoney

        6 years ago

        Yeah, but unfortunately, it hasn’t made its way up north yet.

        Reply
  2. harpchado

    6 years ago

    Wouldn’t mind him coming to the Padres bench.

    2
    Reply
  3. dmazcomp

    6 years ago

    Mud Hens manager? I am not sure if he and the Tigers parted on good terms though.

    Reply
    • pjsportsdude85

      6 years ago

      shoot he can play short for Detroit

      4
      Reply
    • TroyVan

      6 years ago

      I believe you are correct. Came down here to say the same thing.

      Reply
  4. hyraxwithaflamethrower

    6 years ago

    Weird. I thought he’d be a good candidate the next time the White Sox had a hole to fill on their coaching staff.

    4
    Reply
    • Thomas Bliss

      6 years ago

      I did too. I never noticed anything between him and players or fans during the games at was it.

      Reply
  5. jorge78

    6 years ago

    Those scoundrels! He’s a legend!

    1
    Reply
  6. pullhitter445

    6 years ago

    Typical for a jerry reinsdorf owned team to make the wrong decision.

    4
    Reply
    • Megatron2005

      6 years ago

      Oh how I wish you were wrong. It’s been a hard decade.

      Reply
  7. jorge78

    6 years ago

    I saw him make some amazing plays in the field! If only he’d been a slightly above average hitter he’d have 3,000 hits!

    1
    Reply
    • jd396

      6 years ago

      Yeah, he’d be there easily if he was just a little more of a hitter. But I guess then he wouldn’t be Omar. He’s kind of a modern day Bill Mazeroski.

      Reply
  8. jorge78

    6 years ago

    Could get have racial motivations!!?? He just doesn’t doesn’t understand the Latin way? Vizquel is a legend!

    2
    Reply
    • GothamNeedsMe

      6 years ago

      You’re joking, right? Who is their coach again? Remind me…

      Reply
      • Ejemp2006

        6 years ago

        Whitey Ford?

        4
        Reply
        • GothamNeedsMe

          6 years ago

          HA!

          1
          Reply
        • bencole

          6 years ago

          Lol

          Reply
    • astros_fan_84

      6 years ago

      Serious? The White Sox are known as a pro-Cuba club. That doesn’t represent the entire Latino perspective, but it clearly represents a pro-Spanish environment.

      Who knows why he left.

      1
      Reply
    • Wilford Brimley

      6 years ago

      Could be, if he wanted to pursue that. All you need to do is bring up a similar claim, and companies or businesses will settle to avoid litigation.

      1
      Reply
  9. Sadler

    6 years ago

    How much closer to the Hall of Fame does he get this year? He was nearly 43% in his 2nd year on the ballot; I think he’ll get around 50% in his 3rd. He’s got a good shot to be there by the time 10 years are up.

    2
    Reply
    • jimmyz

      6 years ago

      There’s a lot of newcomers on the ballot that will gobble up lots of votes and the clearly HOF talents that have steroid stigmas clouding their case are getting very close to being off the ballot and might get a final push in these last couple years. Long winded response to say he might stagnate or go backwards for a couple years on the ballot.

      Reply
      • textilemonster

        6 years ago

        Who are these newcomers who will gobble up votes?
        There is a very good chance that Derek Jeter is the ONLY new player to clear 5% and stay on the ballot in the next two years. If Vizquel was able to increase his vote totals in a year in which Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Todd Helton and Andy Pettite all debuted on the ballot, why wouldn’t his vote totals go up this year when the second-best player newcomer is Bobby Abreu*, or the year after that when the top candidates are Mark Buehrle and Torii Hunter?
        AND, four candidates were elected last year, meaning FOUR open slots for voters. Jeter takes one, the other three are going to be spread amongst returning candidates or not used at all.
        *Full disclosure: I’m a big Abreu fan and REALLY hope he does manage to get at least 5%, but it doesn’t seem likely.

        Reply
  10. bobtillman

    6 years ago

    It’s easy to like Vizquel; he was a hard-nosed, heady player, gave 100 % all the time, fielded and hit to the max of his abilities. And he gives a great TV interview.

    But we don’t know what’s behind a move like this; could be a myriad of things from personal habits to inability to connect with younger players. And please, enough with the bi-lingual stuff; it’s actually insulting to Hispanic-Americans.

    Being a minor league manager is a lot different than it was when Omar came through; in those days, your manager’s only qualification was probably was that he was a drinking buddy of the Farm Director. There are TONS more responsibilities now; maybe Omar can’t do the job.

    He’s likeable, to the max; doesn’t mean he gets the job done. And frankly, his lack of advancement speaks more to that than anything else.

    2
    Reply
    • cysoxsale

      6 years ago

      That and he was always interactive and helpful with the fans. I remember I had to take a Spanish class I shouldn’t have been in and explained the situation to vizquel, asking him (a native speaker, after all) if he would read over my papers. It turns out it wasn’t allowed, but he was willing to do it.

      Reply
  11. Johnny Baseball

    6 years ago

    Could Ben Cherington have something to do about this?

    Reply
  12. kilustration

    6 years ago

    Probably dawned on him that he was not going to be the Sox manager any time soon.

    1
    Reply
  13. sufferforsnakes

    6 years ago

    Come home to Cleveland, Omar. Then you can be groomed to be Sandy, Jr’s bench coach, for when Francona retires.

    Reply
  14. JayRyder

    6 years ago

    Vizquel not a HOFer what a Joke.

    2
    Reply
    • Ejemp2006

      6 years ago

      Davey Concepcion goes in first. But really, how much better was Jeter? I mean really. Who would you want to build around Jeter or Visquel. It’s not even close really. But a lot of Indians fans just don’t know how over rated Jeter was.

      2
      Reply
      • jkoch717

        6 years ago

        I can’t say one way or another about Omar’s validity for the hall, I’m glad I’m not the only person in America who thought Jeter was overrated. If he played anywhere else, he would MAYBE get 75% of the vote on his first try. But he was “the captain,” so he’ll probably go in unanimously. That’s going to be the writers new thing now. Unanimous elections for all of the Yankee “greats.”

        1
        Reply
        • compassrose

          6 years ago

          If he goes on unanimous over Griffey the Hall is a joke. He was no where near as good as Griffey as an overall player.

          Reply
        • textilemonster

          6 years ago

          Griffey debuted on a MUCH more stacked ballot. I would not be surprised one bit if at least one of the three who didn’t voted for him figured someone else needed his vote more.
          Plus, NO ONE had gotten in unanimously yet, so thinking “my not voting for him might keep him from getting in unanimously” was unlikely. [Plus, Mickey Mantle got 88.2%; the line for ‘if so-and-so gets this much when so-and-so didn’t” was passed a LONG time ago.

          Reply
        • textilemonster

          6 years ago

          I’m sorry, have you ever actually LOOKED AT Derek Jeter’s stats? He was definitely overrated on defense and by Yankees fans in general, but anti-Jeters overcorrect WAY too much.

          Reply
        • its_happening

          6 years ago

          Mantle slept with 11.8% of the voters’ wives which explains the absence.

          1
          Reply
        • textilemonster

          6 years ago

          @WereAllJustGuestsHere: If that’s the case, the real number’s probably higher; 11.8% would just be the ones who found out.

          Reply
      • Dag Gummit

        6 years ago

        While Jeter’s defense was overrated, the inverse of being a truly underrated bat by his greatest detractors is also true. He was a SS who didn’t have a single below-league-average offensive season until his *15th* season (and then was still above average for position).
        That’s practically among SS. Even among systems that penalize his defense the most still have his career as first-ballot HOF-worthy.

        2
        Reply
      • wordonthestreet

        6 years ago

        3000 plus hits = HOF. Jeter is far from overrated

        2
        Reply
    • Dag Gummit

      6 years ago

      He is quite low on SS career rankings, to be fair (baseball-reference.com/leaders/jaws_SS.shtml). While I was and am definitely a fan of his, the bar to be a HOF-quality SS is really, REALLY high. Had he been a 3B with relativized skills, maybe he’d have a chance. As it stands, I think he has a chance in a few years as a relatively late-ballot entry and, given the relatively weak Freshman class this year, might start to get some building support this year.

      Reply
    • sufferforsnakes

      6 years ago

      You’re a joke, Jay.

      Reply
      • JayRyder

        6 years ago

        HA. What a Clown. What are you like a 15 year old kid. ?

        1
        Reply
        • sufferforsnakes

          6 years ago

          I’m someone who’s old enough that I actually watched Omar’s entire career, along with many of the great shortstops before him. Vizquel is a perfect example of the type of player who should be enshrined in the HOF, especially in comparison to the others. But people nowadays tend to focus on the newfangled stats, missing out on witnessing in person just how awesome and solid a player some guys really were.
          If someone like Omar can’t get in the HOF, then it shows just how dumb the voters have become.

          Reply
        • textilemonster

          6 years ago

          That kind of thinking is how Harold Baines got in. “Pah to your newfangled stats! He was RESPECTED and CLUTCH! Consistent and reliable! Professional and humble!”

          [All adjectives used on his HoF plaque.]

          Reply
        • mohoney

          6 years ago

          Harold Baines got in because Reinsdorf, LaRussa, and Gillick lobbied hard for him.

          Reply
        • textilemonster

          6 years ago

          @mohoney: One does not necessarily preclude the other.

          Reply
  15. socraticgadfly

    6 years ago

    Very good career? Yes. “Outstanding”? No.

    1
    Reply
  16. pplama

    6 years ago

    Good. He was a terrible manager.

    Reply
  17. thorshair

    6 years ago

    Mets next bench coach

    Reply
  18. Vizionaire

    6 years ago

    angels should hire him as a vice pres. of player development.

    Reply
    • pplama

      6 years ago

      They already passed on him for manager, when he made a fool of himself in the interview.

      Reply
      • Vizionaire

        6 years ago

        so, he’s not a manager material. but he knows infield play better than most.

        Reply
  19. canocorn

    6 years ago

    Would like to hear Omar’s side if it.

    2
    Reply
    • Priggs89

      6 years ago

      Would like to hear either side of it…

      2
      Reply
      • Aaron Sapoznik

        6 years ago

        We both know it’s not the White Sox m.o. to publicly criticize former employees. Omar Vizquel is a class individual as well. I say let sleeping dogs lie regardless of the truth and move on.

        1
        Reply
      • pplama

        6 years ago

        Getz’s actual quote, not the paraphrasing above, clearly states the Sox did not want him back.
        People need to stop trying to make something of him just because he was a good SS years ago.
        The Sox are better off. Good riddance.

        Reply
        • Priggs89

          6 years ago

          You’re right. I didn’t read the actual article. I assumed it wouldn’t go into much detail based on the paraphrasing, but it clearly seems like it was the White Sox decision.

          “Listen, Omar, ultra-talented player, very good instructor, created a good environment for our players,” Getz continued. “We just felt with where things are at, our player development system, that it was time to go separate ways. But not only for himself, but for the organization as well and we wish Omar well. He was a positive influence while he was here.”

          Reply
  20. maximumvelocity

    6 years ago

    The Barons were a nightmare this season. While much of that falls on Hahn and Getz, Vizquel didn’t help players develop, and oversaw several regressions. He just wasn’t a very good coach this past season, and it helped stunt the rebuilding process.

    1
    Reply
    • SupremeZeus

      6 years ago

      White Sox are simply inept at player development. drivelinebaseball.com/2019/04/finding-star-nothing…

      3
      Reply
      • Dogbone

        6 years ago

        Reinsdorf has to make money. He can’t be expected to spend it on ‘trivial’ things, like building a winning organization— if that hurts his pocketbook.

        Reply
      • Priggs89

        6 years ago

        Looks like the Cubs are too, so that’s good at least.

        Reply
  21. lefty58

    6 years ago

    He must’ve been Manny Machados cousin.

    Reply
  22. bravesfan

    6 years ago

    Any team would be lucky to have a guy like him coaching. Wouldn’t mind the Braves locking him down maybe as our AA or AAA coach. Heck, I’d easily take him on the major league lvl if a spot is open.

    Reply
  23. lilojbone

    6 years ago

    Won’t someone please think of the children!

    Reply
  24. Thomas Bliss

    6 years ago

    The hall doesn’t consider defense like they should. And the hall would be totally different if they consider impact players have to certain fan bases. Vizquel made an impact defensively and in the community. Paul Konerko is eligible for it this year and like so many others will most likely never get into it. Most people say he doesn’t have the numbers and made the right impact. But like Vizquel to the Indians, Paulie was and will always be a legend to that organization. Vizquel is a legend, a legend who will probably never be inducted to Cooperstown and it will be a crying shame.

    Reply

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