Wilton Guerrero
| Wilton Guerrero | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Second baseman / Outfielder | |||
|
Born: October 24, 1974 Don Gregorio, Dominican Republic | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| September 3, 1996, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 1, 2004, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .282 | ||
| Home runs | 11 | ||
| Runs batted in | 127 | ||
| Teams | |||
Wilton Álvaro Guerrero (born October 24, 1974) is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1996–1998), Montreal Expos (1998–2000, 2002), Cincinnati Reds (2001–2002), and Kansas City Royals (2004). He is the older brother of Vladimir Guerrero and cousin of Cristian Guerrero.
Career
Guerrero was 21 years old when he made his major league debut September 3, 1996, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. On June 1, 1997, the Dodgers rookie led off against the St. Louis Cardinals by breaking his bat on a grounder to second. Rather than try to run it out, Guerrero scrambled to pick up the pieces of his shattered bat, making the umpires suspicious. Plate umpire Steve Ripley noticed cork in one of the shattered pieces, and showed it to crew chief and third-base umpire Bruce Froemming, who immediately ejected Guerrero. He was suspended eight games and fined $1,000.
He was a utility player and played strong defense at any position he played. Although he had the ability to hit for average, he had limited power. Additionally, his tenure in Los Angeles was plagued by numerous mental mistakes that kept him from becoming a regular starter.[1]
He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals to a minor league contract in January 2005 with an invitation to spring training, but started the season with the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals' top affiliate. The Cardinals traded his contract to the Chicago White Sox in June, but after two more months with the White Sox' top affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, he was released in August. He then played several years in the Dominican Republic.
As of the 2009 season, Guerrero is serving as an international scout in the Dominican Republic for the Dodgers.
References
- ↑ Reid, Jason. Guerrero Is Causing the Dodgers to Go Mental. Los Angeles Times, 1998-04-07.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)