Placido Polanco Was Probably Better Than Omar Vizquel

Placido Polanco is never a name that comes to mind when talking about the games greatest bat-handlers – his first eight seasons went by rather quietly, as he did not collect any Gold Glove Awards, Silver Slugger Awards, All-Star appearances, or even a single MVP vote. Yet, he batted a respectable .300/.344/.409 during those eight big league campaigns with his career-best season still to come.

He displayed mastery with the mitt, finishing his career with 137.9 defensive runs saved and as the game’s all-time leader in fielding percentage – take that for what it is worth – as both a second baseman and as a third baseman. Yet, he did not win his first, of three, Gold Glove Awards until his ninth season.

A career emphasized by a keen ability to put the bat on the ball, Polanco struck out just 538 times in 7,887 plate appearances.

Overall, Polanco finished with a solid career, good numbers propped up by the fact that he was such a difficult out at the plate – not unlike Tony Gwynn, who instead had great numbers bolstered by his ability to put the bat on the ball.

This is by no means to say that Polanco was better than or even anywhere as close to as good as Tony Gwynn… but I can comfortably compare his career with the likes of, say, Omar Vizquel, the all-time leader in fielding percentage as a shortstop, who has garnered a great deal of Hall of Fame support.

Now, I do not believe either player is worthy of Hall of Fame induction, but I believe that Polanco may have been the better player.

Vizquel’s Hall of Fame support rests largely on the shoulders of his defensive prowess, and while there is no doubt that his career should be paid a premium for excelling as a shortstop, Polanco was not far off… defensively.

Along with his career .985 fielding percentage, Vizquel tallied 128.6 defensive runs saved – actually 9.1 fewer than Polanco had in his career. Omar won 11 Gold Glove Awards to Polanco’s three, and he probably should have a few more… Derek Jeter has a few of Omar’s awards in his trophy case.

Nonetheless, it is close. Polanco may not have had the magical, seemingly instantaneous glove-to-hand transition ability of Vizquel, but he was not far behind, and by some indications, perhaps he was even better.

As a shortstop, Vizquel never led the league in assists, he led the league in putouts once, fielding percentage six times, range factor-per-nine innings once, and total zone runs three times.

Polanco, on the other hand, led the league in assists once as a third baseman, putouts once as a second baseman, fielding percentage six times total – three times at each position – range factor-per-nine once as a third baseman, and total zone runs once as a second baseman.

Vizquel and Polanco rank 31st and 32nd all-time in total zone runs with 129 and 128, respectively, and Vizquel played over 1,000 more games.

There is definitely something to be said about Vizquel’s longevity, but Polanco should also be lauded for playing two of the most difficult positions on the diamond, interchangeably, at the highest level and at a Gold Glove, if not an all-time great, level.

Again, it is close… Polanco was not far off, defensively…

Offensively, I contend that Polanco was a far superior threat.

Vizquel was a career .272/.336/.352 hitter with an OPS+ that was 18 percent below league average, granted that is not position adjusted, while Polanco batted .297/.343/.397 with a 95 OPS+. Both wOBA an wRC+ provide an edge for Polanco as well – .327 to .310 and 97 to 83, respectively.

Again, Vizquel’s career was markedly longer, but if we look at each players’ top-five seasons in the adjusted categories of OPS+, wOBA, and wRC+, the scales tip decisively in Polanco’s corner.

Overall, Omar Vizquel edges Placido Polanco in career wins above replacement (WAR) – 45.6 to 41.9 – but remember that Omar played 1,041 more games, and, like hits – of which Vizquel did have 735 more – WAR is a cumulative statistic, though it can dip with negative values. It is also worth noting that wins above average (WAA) favors Polanco rather decidedly – 17.2 to 5.3.

Hall of Fame metrics, however, are not particularly generous to either player.

Again, I do not believe either player is worthy of Hall of Fame immortality, but, in the end, I do think Vizquel’s longevity and his reputation with the glove will get him there… even though Polanco may have been nearly at good at his positions.

BBWAA, in general, pays (or charges) a premium to a number of intangibles – the character clause may be the most discussed example – two others are: the position of shortstop over other skill positions and things that they don’t particularly understand in full – look no further than the countless awards given to relief pitchers in the 1980s, before anyone really understood the value of the save – in this case, the unknown is the value of all-time great defense over just great defense.

When it comes to defense, my contention is that of an economist – there are decreasing marginal returns on improvement. Sure, when going from poor to average or average to excellent, there is significant value added, but when going from great to all-time great, the value added is probably negligible, at least statistically it is.

And so, I believe that Placido Polanco was probably better than Omar Vizquel… and I know for damn sure that Jimmy Rollins was a far better shortstop overall, but I will wait until next year to talk about that when J-Roll makes his first appearance on the ballot…