Omar Vizquel, the veteran Major League Baseball shortstop who played 24 seasons at baseball’s highest level, is a candidate to manage in winter ball, Venezuela’s Meridiano.Net reported.
Vizquel hasn’t managed since 2021, when he was fired as manager of the Toros de Tijuana in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, but according to Meridiano, the Caracas, Venezuela-native is a possible manager for the Gigantes de Rivas, who play in Nicaragua’s Liga Beisbol Profesional Nacional.
https://x.com/Rayo2Fer/status/1951106209047781779
In 2017, Vizquel managed Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic squad to a 2-5 record, and then managed in the Chicago White Sox minor league system, first at Advanced-A Winston-Salem and then Double-A Birmingham before he was fired following allegations of abuse by a male team employee. In Winston-Salem, Vizquel led the Dash to a 84-54 record in his only season as skipper, earning himself a promotion to Birmingham the next season.
He was named manager of the Toros in December 2019, but didn’t take the helm until the 2021 season, as the 2020 season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Tijuana got off to a hot start under Vizquel, going 22-8 to start the year. The club then won just 12 of its next 26 games, and Vizquel was show the door on July 26 of that year after the Toros were swept by the Sultanes de Monterrey.
While managing Tijuana, Vizquel’s then-wife Bianca alleged that Vizquel abused her on several occasions during their marriage. Vizquel denied the allegations, and the couple divorced, with charges she had pressed against Vizquel being dropped.
The Gigantes de Rivas went 11-21 in the LPBN’s 2024-25 regular season, finishing fifth in the five-team league and missing the round robin stage of the playoffs. They last won the title in 2023-24, when they represented Nicaragua in the Caribbean Series at Miami’s loanDepot Park, going 0-6.
Photo: Detroit Tigers mascot Paws and first base coach Omar Vizquel (13) stand during the national anthem before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox on Star Wars Night, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, in Detroit. The White Sox defeated the Tigers 10-4. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
