Roberto Alomar is a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove second baseman, had a .300 batting average, 210 homers and 474 steals in 17 major league seasons.

Edgar Martinez spent all 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, winning two AL batting titles and finishing with a .312 average and 309 homers. A seven-time All-Star, he was a designated hitter in 1,412 of 2,055 career regular-season games.

Barry Larkin was a 12-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove shortstop in 19 seasons, all with the Cincinnati Reds. He had a .295 career average with 198 homers and won the 1995 NL MVP award.

Fred McGriff is tied with Lou Gehrig for 26th on the career home run with 493 and had a .284 average in 19 seasons. He led the AL in homers for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989 and the NL for the San Diego Padres in 1992.

Mark McGwire, who was hired last month as hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, is on the ballot for the fourth time. Although he hit 583 homers, eighth on the career list, he has been stigmatized since his 2005 congressional committee testimony, when he dodged questions about potential steroids use. He received 118 votes (22 %) in last year’s vote, down from 128 in each of his first two tries.

Who do you feel should make it on January 6th?

Full Ballot: Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Ellis Burks, Andre Dawson, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile

Rules for Qualification and Election to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com is reporting that the Chicago White Sox and shortstop Omar Vizquel are very close to a deal.

This does not surprise me in the slightest. Vizquel still has a great glove even though he is definitely up there in years. He would be a great backup for shortstop Alexei Ramirez and second basemen Gordon Beckham up the middle. Throughout Kenny Williams tenure with the White Sox, he has had an infatuation with reuniting the Indians’ teams of the 90s. These players include Bartolo Colon, Jim Thome, Roberto Alomar, Sandy Alomar Jr. and now potentially Omar Vizquel. It sounds like the contract will be for about $1 million. Maybe this is just what Alexei Ramirez needs to get his head in the game and focus on the finer aspects of the game, like properly throwing the ball to first base.

Vizquel was originally signed by the Seattle Mariners as a non-drafted free agent in 1984 and made his major league debut on April 3, 1989. He played for the Mariners from 1989-1993, the Cleveland Indians from 1994-2004, the San Francisco Giants from 2005-2008 and the Texas Rangers in 2009. He also played in Venezuela with the Leones del Caracas.

This would be a solid move for the White Sox since it is obvious that Vizquel would be there only as a defensive replacement. It would give Manager Ozzie Guillen a reliable defensive cushion for those days Alexei Ramirez forgets how to use his glove. Plus, I know Guillen just gushes over Vizquel which in some ways worries me. Guillen has a tendency to fall in love with a player and only look a them through “rose colored” glasses. The big question is what number Vizquel would wear since his customary 13 is synonymous with Ozzie on the south side of the Chicago.