For many shortstops, especially those hailing from Latin America, wearing that number on their jersey would be viewed as an honor and privilege.

That's because one of No. 13's more famous owners was one sensational Venezuelan shortstop named Dave Concepcion.

Not only was Concepcion a member of the legendary "Big Red Machine" that won four pennants -- including World Series championships in 1975-76 -- he is viewed as a trailblazing pioneer for generations of Latino ballplayers enjoying thriving careers.

Among those inspired by Concepcion's dazzling skills were two other No. 13's, ranging from Ozzie Guillen to another defensive great, Omar Vizquel.

"I used to see every move he made," Vizquel once said of Concepcion. "For me, that was like a school. Just watching him during the game was a big inspiration for me."

For the past 13 years, voters for the Hall of Fame have not been similarly inspired, nor has Concepcion been as lucky as his playing days.

Concepcion has never received more than 16.9 percent of the vote -- which he garnered in 1998. Last year, the 58-year-old received just 12.5 percent of votes. A candidate must get 75 percent to be elected.

Time's running out.

Concepcion has two years of eligibility remaining to get into Cooperstown. After that, he'd have to rely on the more challenging veteran's committee process.

"I know some people who had good stats are coming up, like Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn," Concepcion said. "But I only have two more opportunities to get in or I'll have to sit out for years and wait for the veterans to vote."

In a 19-season career spent entirely with Cincinnati from 1970-88, Concepcion owned a .267 average, 101 home runs and 950 RBIs. The nine-time All Star is one of only 14 players in history to play more than 2,000 games at shortstop and collect more than 2,000 hits.

As the shortstop position has been revolutionized by more offensively gifted players like Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada and at one point, Alex Rodriguez, Concepcion's numbers lack the gusto voters often desire.

But during his era, Concepcion was considered the gold standard at his position, along with Ozzie Smith. Inducted in 2002, Smith batted .262 with just 28 homers and 793 RBIs in his 19 seasons, while posting a .978 career fielding percentage.

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Concepcion compares closely to Smith with a .972 fielding percentage and five Gold Glove Awards. His numbers -- both offensively and defensively -- rival or better others already with plaques at Cooperstown, including Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese and Bill Mazeroski.

Since he was a member of the "Great Eight" starting lineup on the Big Red Machine with Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster and Pete Rose, it'd be easy for someone to diminish Concepcion's accomplishments.

It'd also be a mistake.

Concepcion loomed quite large in many of the Reds' biggest stages, and he batted .297 in his postseason career. His many spectacular defensive plays dazzled a generation of fans that most of the time could only watch them on the "Game of the Week" or "This Week in Baseball."

His teammates considered his contributions crucial to Cincinnati's success during the 1970's.

"It's too bad Davey Concepcion played before the 'web gem' era," Bench said. "Because his defensive genius would have been highlighted on national television every night."

"During my era, Davey was the best shortstop in baseball," Morgan said in a statement. "He was a Gold Glove winner and one of the best clutch hitters on the best team in baseball. He has been overshadowed by the new generation of sluggers at the shortstop position. If he played in the home run era, he would have hit 20-30 homers per year. He is definitely a Hall of Famer."

A new Web site, ConcepcionforCooperstown.org, has recently been launched to help with the promotional campaign by showing how his numbers stacked up with other Hall of Famers.

"We should have done this five years ago and compare my numbers with the other shortstops that are in, like Ozzie, Pee Wee Reese, Luis Aparicio and Phil Rizzuto," Concepcion said. "Hopefully, I'll have a better chance."

Because he had difficulty commanding English, Concepcion was rarely offered endorsement deals or asked to do interviews after big games. As a result, he often blended into the background when he should have been front and center.

"Sometimes you'll have writers that are lazy," Concepcion said. "And they don't want to come to the guys that don't speak English. They would only go to the guys they could talk to."

If Concepcion's long shot bid for the Hall of Fame is realized, expect big joy and some relief, too.

"I will pass out. I've been waiting for it all my life," Concepcion said. "I'm excited about it. I can't tell you how happy I'm going to be."