Cristian Guzmán
Encyclopedia
Cristian Antonio Guzmán (born March 21, 1978 in Bani, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican
baseball
player who plays second base and shortstop
, who is currently a free agent.
in from the New York Yankees
organization as part of the Chuck Knoblauch
trade.
In , Guzmán was named to the AL
All-Star team
and posted career bests with 10 home run
s and a .302 batting average
. He was a key part of the Twins teams that won three consecutive American League Central titles from -. While a Twin, he led the American League in triples in (20), 2001 (14) and (14). His total of 20 in 2000 was only the tenth time a player had reached that number in the last 70 years.
for the season but then proceeded to have the worst year of his career. As the full-time shortstop, he was batting .192 at the end of August, but rallied in September, hitting .325, which helped bring his average up to .219.
Three days after the disastrous 2005 season, Guzmán had eye surgery, which he credited as a prime reason for his resurgence in the following years.
Guzmán was sidelined for the entire campaign with a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, but returned in as the Nationals' starting shortstop following the trade of second baseman
José Vidro
to the Seattle Mariners
and the move of Felipe López to second base. However, he injured his hamstring
on the first day of the regular season. He was on the disabled list
until May 7, 2007. Batting leadoff, he was hitting .329 (second on the team), and despite missing almost half of the season through late June, was third in the league with six triples. On June 24, however, Guzmán was injured while tagging out a would-be base-stealer, and had surgery the next day to repair a torn thumb ligament, sidelining him for the rest of the 2007 season.
On March 30, , Guzmán got the first hit
in the history of Nationals Park, a broken bat single
to right off Atlanta Braves
starter
Tim Hudson
. He followed with the first run
in the history of the park, after an RBI
double
by Nick Johnson
. He made the NL
All-Star team as the Nationals' lone representative in 2008. He ended up playing third base
in the All-Star Game
, and made some crucial fielding plays at that position, even though he had previously only played shortstop as a major leaguer. On August 28, 2008, Guzmán hit for the cycle
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
; only the second cycle in Nationals history. Guzman signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the Nats.
He finished the 2008 season as 4th the league in hits and batting average. By the all-star break in 2009, he was fourth among active players for triples.
He had the lowest fielding percentage of any starting major league shortstop in 2009 (.962).
acquired Guzmán from the Nationals for two minor leaguers. Guzman played his first game as a Ranger on August 1 against the Angels in L.A. and went 0-3 with a walk.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who plays second base and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, who is currently a free agent.
Minnesota Twins
Guzmán was acquired by the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in from the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
organization as part of the Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
trade.
In , Guzmán was named to the AL
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
All-Star team
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
and posted career bests with 10 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and a .302 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. He was a key part of the Twins teams that won three consecutive American League Central titles from -. While a Twin, he led the American League in triples in (20), 2001 (14) and (14). His total of 20 in 2000 was only the tenth time a player had reached that number in the last 70 years.
Washington Nationals
After becoming a free agent, Guzmán signed a $16.8 million, four-year contract with the Washington NationalsWashington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
for the season but then proceeded to have the worst year of his career. As the full-time shortstop, he was batting .192 at the end of August, but rallied in September, hitting .325, which helped bring his average up to .219.
Three days after the disastrous 2005 season, Guzmán had eye surgery, which he credited as a prime reason for his resurgence in the following years.
Guzmán was sidelined for the entire campaign with a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, but returned in as the Nationals' starting shortstop following the trade of second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
José Vidro
José Vidro
José Angel Vidro is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. Though he never officially retired, Vidro has not played since .-Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals:...
to the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
and the move of Felipe López to second base. However, he injured his hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
on the first day of the regular season. He was on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
until May 7, 2007. Batting leadoff, he was hitting .329 (second on the team), and despite missing almost half of the season through late June, was third in the league with six triples. On June 24, however, Guzmán was injured while tagging out a would-be base-stealer, and had surgery the next day to repair a torn thumb ligament, sidelining him for the rest of the 2007 season.
On March 30, , Guzmán got the first hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in the history of Nationals Park, a broken bat single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
to right off Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
starter
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Tim Hudson
Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Atlanta Braves. Hudson began his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and played his last two years of college eligibility at Auburn University...
. He followed with the first run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in the history of the park, after an RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
by Nick Johnson
Nick Johnson
Nicholas Robert Johnson is an American Major League Baseball first baseman.He previously played for the New York Yankees , Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals , and the Florida Marlins...
. He made the NL
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
All-Star team as the Nationals' lone representative in 2008. He ended up playing third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
in the All-Star Game
2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 79th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, home of the New York Yankees, on...
, and made some crucial fielding plays at that position, even though he had previously only played shortstop as a major leaguer. On August 28, 2008, Guzmán hit for the cycle
Hitting for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
; only the second cycle in Nationals history. Guzman signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the Nats.
He finished the 2008 season as 4th the league in hits and batting average. By the all-star break in 2009, he was fourth among active players for triples.
He had the lowest fielding percentage of any starting major league shortstop in 2009 (.962).
Texas Rangers
On July 31, 2010, the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
acquired Guzmán from the Nationals for two minor leaguers. Guzman played his first game as a Ranger on August 1 against the Angels in L.A. and went 0-3 with a walk.
2011
Although Guzmán received spring training invitations from two teams, he was forced to miss at least the first half of the season to deal with unspecified family issues.External links
- Sportsnet player stats
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP47OQy7bzk&NR=1TV commercial from 2001 (narrated by Bill WoodsonBill WoodsonWilliam "Bill" T. Woodson is a retired American voice artist. He has a small onscreen appearance in the 1950s sci-fi film "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" as a newscaster. He can be heard in the opening narrative of the 1970s television series The Odd Couple, explaining how it is that Felix and...
)]