Carlos Alfonso Guillén (born September 30, 1975) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

infielder. Guillén was signed by the Houston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1992. He was traded to the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

with

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Freddy García Freddy Antonio García (born October 6, 1976), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He is best known for his many seasons with seven Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, including the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and ...

and

John Halama John Thadeuz Halama (born February 22, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During his major league career, Halama played with the Houston Astros (), Seattle Mariners (–), Oakland Athletics (), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (), Boston Red Sox ...

in the deal that sent

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...

to the Astros. Guillén made his debut in 1998 and was traded to Detroit at the end of the 2003 season. He retired after the 2011 season. In 1,305 games over 14 seasons, Guillén posted a .285

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 124 home runs and 660 RBI.

Playing career

Seattle Mariners

In Seattle, Guillén was initially forced to play second and third base with incumbent

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

at shortstop. After Alex Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers for the season, Guillén moved back to his natural position. He had a league-average campaign in his first full season with the club. In Game 3 of the 2000 American League Division Series, he hit a squeeze play in the bottom of the ninth inning to score

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

and complete the Mariners' sweep of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. In September 2001, Guillén was hospitalized after being diagnosed with

pulmonary tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, but was ready for the American League Championship Series against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

the following month.

Detroit Tigers

In , Guillén joined a young and restructured Tigers team. In a career year, he led his club in RBI (97), runs (97), doubles (37), triples (10),

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

(283), slugging percentage (.542),

OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...

(.921), and his .318

was only second to .334 of teammate

Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Texas Rangers (in two separate stints, comprising the majority of his career), Florida ...

. Guillén also got his first All-Star berth. However, his breakout season was cut short, as he missed the final month of the 2004 season after tearing his ACL while legging out a triple. He healed well during the 2004 05 offseason and was back to his previous form in time for 's opening day, although problems with his left

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

kept him out of the lineup for much of the year. Guillén returned to elite status in having another outstanding season. His on-base percentage reached .400 for the first time in his career, and he led all Major League shortstops with a .919

. On August 1, 2006, Guillén became the tenth Tiger to

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits 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 rare in Major League B ...

in a game against the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

. In 2006, Guillén became the first player in modern Major League history to raise his average for six consecutive seasons, batting .320. In the field, however, he tied for the major league lead in errors at shortstop, with 28. On August 6, 2007, he got his 1,000th hit, knocking in

Curtis Granderson Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed the "Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...

with two out in the bottom of the first. Guillen hit a home run in extra innings against the

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

ending a marathon game that ended at 3:30 AM due to the length of the game and rain delays. On September 30, 2007, on his 32nd birthday, Guillén hit the 93rd home run of his career and it gave him 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career. Due to the acquisition of shortstop

Édgar Rentería Édgar Enrique Rentería Herazo (; born August 7, 1975), nicknamed "The Barranquilla Baby", is a Colombian former professional baseball shortstop. He threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Florida Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals, th ...

from the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

during the 2007–2008 offseason, and due to his decreased mobility, Guillén initially moved to

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

to start the 2008 season. However, on April 22, manager

Jim Leyland James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He serves as a special assistant to the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Leyland led the Florida Marlins to the ...

announced that Guillén would be moving to third base, with

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...

becoming the new starting first baseman. On September 27, 2008 Tigers manager

announced that Guillén would play

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

in 2009. Guillén sat out several weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. Jim Leyland announced Guillén would play left field again in 2010 if he stays healthy, but Guillén publicly stated he would prefer to play third base or shortstop. In May 2010, it was announced that Guillén would be the Tigers 2nd baseman after returning from a hamstring injury which he suffered on April 23, replacing rookie

Scott Sizemore Scott Daniel Sizemore (born January 4, 1985) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played for the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees from 2010 to 2014. Early life Sizemore was born in Virginia Beach ...

. Guillén sat out the first half of 2011 after having microfracture surgery on his left knee in September. He finally returned to play on July 16. Shortly after returning he hit a home run off of

Jered Weaver Jered David Weaver (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres. Weaver was drafted in the first round (12th overal ...

during the July 31, 2011 game vs the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

. Weaver was upset about

Magglio Ordóñez Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado (; born January 28, 1974) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right fielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is tall and weighs . Having p ...

hitting a home run off of him earlier, and quipped to Tigers first baseman

that he was "an asshole" about the situation. Following the home run, Guillén retaliated by "taunting" Weaver by flipping his bat as he started rounding the bases. Weaver was eventually ejected after throwing a high fastball in retaliation at the head of the following batter, Detroit catcher Alex Avila. On October 30, Carlos elected to become a free-agent, ending his tenure with the Tigers. During the weekend of August 4, 2012, the Tigers held a variety events in Guillén's honor, which he attended.

Retirement

On February 1, 2012, Guillén signed a minor league contract with the

. He also received an invitation to spring training. However, he announced his retirement on March 6, 2012, without playing any games for Seattle that spring.Carlos Guillen announces retirement
/ref>

Personal life

Guillén has three children with his wife Amelia.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
: {{DEFAULTSORT:Guillen, Carlos 1975 births Living people American League All-Stars Detroit Tigers players Erie SeaWolves players Gulf Coast Astros players Jackson Generals (Texas League) players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball shortstops Navegantes del Magallanes players New Orleans Zephyrs players Sportspeople from Maracay Quad City River Bandits players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Toledo Mud Hens players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States West Michigan Whitecaps players World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players