RICHMOND, Texas — Omar Vizquel slowly opens the front door, greets his visitor, and invites you into his home in this tree-lined community.
You go into the dining room where his fiancée sits, alongside two strategic consultants.
You talk for nearly two hours, ask uncomfortable questions, listen closely to what he says – and what he cannot say – and take a tour of his office filled with memorabilia from his career.
You see the anguish he is enduring, understand how badly he wants to be accepted again by baseball, but realize it may be impossible to ever know the entire truth.
Vizquel’s life turned upside down in August 2021, when he was sued by a former batboy who has autism, for sexual harassment while managing the Chicago White Sox’s Class AA team in Birmingham, Alabama in 2019. The civil lawsuit accused Vizquel of ‘sexually aggressive behavior’ and alleged that Vizquel demanded the batboy wash his back. The White Sox suspended Vizquel with pay when the organization learned of the charges, and dismissed him after the season.
HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.
“When allegations were brought to our attention near the end of the season, Omar Vizquel was suspended,’ White Sox vice president Scott Reifert said in a message. “An internal investigation took place and his contract was not renewed.’
The batboy, 22 at the time, filed a lawsuit against the White Sox and also filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He eventually dropped his suit against the White Sox, and claims against Vizquel were dismissed when the parties reached a confidential settlement in June 2022.
But only now, Vizquel says, with the encouragement of friends, his children and his fiancée, Monica, does he feel comfortable talking. He realizes that precious few may choose to believe him. He can’t go into details because of the settlement, but also declines to publicly apologize.
Vizquel also was accused of domestic violence in 2020 by his ex-wife. He had been arrested in 2016, but was not prosecuted on fourth-degree assault accusations. Vizquel steadfastly denied the allegations at the time, and says today it was a smear campaign to damage his image in the wake of his divorce.
“I’m glad I’m able to talk now,’ he tells USA TODAY Sports, in his first public interview, “because a lot of things people were saying weren’t accurate. My conscience is clean and clear that I’m not the kind of person that they are saying about Omar. I can look at everybody in the eye and said, ‘Man, do you really think that is accurate?’ Come on now.
“I wish I could have spoken earlier but my lawyer told me, ‘Do not say anything about it. Let the legal process play out. Your time to talk is going to come.’ You see what happened. Justice spoke. There wasn’t something they could charge against me. There was nothing there. They took a look at everything. It was huge misunderstanding
“I’m a big believer of God, and God spoke.’
While Vizquel says he still cannot specifically address the charges, he hopes that speaking publicly now may help him in the court of public opinion.
“I think it is time now to talk because everybody heard the version that came out,’ Vizquel said, “nobody had really listened to my side of the story or what really happened. It was hard to hear your name bouncing around and reading stuff that wasn’t accurate. It was really painful. At the end of the day, I knew I wasn’t that kind of guy they were talking about in there. …
“I will say I said some words that I regret saying, but unfortunately, I cannot give details because of the agreement that I signed with this guy. But I can tell you this: the Omar Vizquel that was portrayed in the press is not the Omar Vizquel that believes in integrity and the values. Those are the facts.’
In 24 big-league seasons, Vizquel was an 11-time Gold Glove winner, produced 2,877 hits and played more games at shortstop than any player in history. His resume probably should have had him in the Hall of Fame by now.
Yet, instead of forever basking in glory in Cooperstown, Vizquel’s Hall of Fame candidacy has cratered more than any player who ever appeared on the ballot.
The game that he’s loved since he was old enough to pick up a ball, wants no part of him anymore.
“It’s tough to see what has happened to Omar, heartbreaking really,’ says his former All-Star teammate Carlos Baerga says. “He’s a very lovely person. He gets along with everyone. Omar wants everyone to be happy. Omar wants everyone to enjoy life.
“That’s why I can’t believe this because I know what kind of person he is, the way he was with everyone in the clubhouse, on and off the field, it hurts my heart. This is tough on him.’
Friends and former teammates have been honored with celebrations, but Vizquel has been told to stay away.
Youth camps and instructional clinics who used to seek his guidance alongside other former greats no longer invite him.
“It’s hard not to be in the game when you see all your friends doing different things in the game,’ Vizquel says. “I want to do that. I want to stay in the game, and obviously I think I have a lot to give back. It’s important for me to talk to the younger Venezuelan kids, go to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic. I have lot to give back to the game.’
When the lawsuit came, Vizquel says he stayed alone in his house when the news broke, not knowing whether he even wanted to live. He hired lawyers to fight the civil lawsuit, insisting it was just clubhouse antics. The former batboy’s attorneys charged it was sexual harassment.
“There was a point where I spent three days in a room with only a glass of water,’ Vizquel softly said. “The only time I’d leave is to go to the bathroom 10 times a day. I didn’t even know what time it was. It would be like 3 o’clock in the morning and I thought it was in the afternoon. It was really bad.
“I was living by myself. My door was closed. And I thought people were chasing me in my own house.
“I tell you what, there were a lot of bad thoughts going through my head.’
Vizquel, who just returned from Venezuela, celebrating Ronald Acuña Jr.’s MVP award, and worked with youth in baseball camps, felt exhilarated the past two weeks. He felt welcomed by the baseball community. Yet, back home in the Houston area, he wonders if anything will ever change.
He wasn’t invited by the Seattle Mariners to be among their former players who were celebrated during the All-Star festivities. He was invited by the Cleveland Guardians to celebrate the career of Manny Ramirez, his former teammate and close friend – only to be told he couldn’t be on the field. His invitation to appear at a youth camp in Philadelphia in November was pulled. The only MLB-related event he has been invited to was in August when the San Francisco Giants celebrated longtime clubhouse manager Mike Murphy’s retirement.
While Vizquel has not been suspended by MLB and officials say there are no conditions or provisions preventing teams from having Vizquel participate in events, he’s still unwelcome.
His hopes of reaching the Hall of Fame are virtually extinguished, too. He has received only 12.6% of the votes first 88 public votes by the Baseball Writers Association of America, according to Ryan Thibodeaux’s Hall of Fame tracker, and has only three more years of eligibility.
No player in history has had greater decline in Hall of Fame voting history, receiving 52.6% of the vote just three years ago, and now barely hanging on for eligibility.
“Of course I would love to be in the Hall of Fame, who wouldn’t?’ Vizquel said. “But what’s most important to me is just giving back, staying involved in baseball, helping others achieve their dreams.
“Baseball is my passion.’
Vizquel, 56, hopes to be at the Caribbean World Series beginning Feb. 1 in Miami, assisting a team from Venezuela, but doesn’t know whether he’ll be invited. MLB officials aren’t prohibiting him from participating, but it’s unknown whether the event’s organizers will welcome him.
Really, who knows if he’ll ever be welcomed back in baseball.
Yet, no matter what happens, no matter who you want to believe, Vizquel insists he can live with himself.
“You know what,’ Vizquel says, “my conscience is clean. When I lay down my head in bed, I can lay down and sleep in peace. I know I’m not that type of person I was being portrayed.
“I’m just not.’
