CLEVELAND, Ohio — Just three years into his Hall of Fame eligibility, Omar Vizquel appeared to be on a glide path to Cooperstown. Now, with just two years remaining on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, his candidacy has all but collapsed – a stunning reversal for one of baseball’s greatest defensive shortstops.

“Omar in his third year was at over 50% of the vote. With seven more years to go he was a lock to get in,” cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes explained on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “And then the domestic abuse stuff came out. The lawsuit from the minor league bat boy... And last year he cratered. His vote total is down to17.8%.”

That precipitous drop – from more than half of voters supporting him to less than one-fifth – represents one of the most dra

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