Freddy Antonio Guzmán (born 20 January 1981) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, Texas Rangers,

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) Am ...

, and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

in five seasons between 2004 and 2013.

Career

San Diego Padres

Guzmán was signed as a non-drafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

on 17 April 2000. His first professional experience came in 2001, where he was limited to just 12 games with the

Idaho Falls Padres Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state sha ...

due to a broken leg. He played for all three of the organization's Class-A teams in 2002, batting a combined .262 with 32 RBI and 69 stolen bases. Before the 2003 season, Guzmán played under the name "Pedro de los Santos." It was then discovered that he had falsified his identity and was 30 months older than originally believed. That year, he led all minor leaguers in

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s, with 90. San Diego added him to the 40-man roster after the season. Heading into the 2004 season, Guzmán was ranked as the third best prospect in the Padres system by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

''. San Diego added him to the 40-man roster He hit .289 with 26 RBI and 65 stolen bases over 101 games in Double-A and Triple-A. Guzmán made his major league debut on 17 August 2004, going 1–for-5 with a

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

. He got a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

in his first six games in the majors. He missed all of the season following

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

Texas Rangers

On 11 May 2006, the Padres traded Guzmán and César Rojas to the Texas Rangers for Vince Sinisi and John Hudgins. He was first called up on 20 June and appeared in eight games over two stints with the team in June and July. Guzmán also appeared in a 16 August game against the

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

, where he was one of two Rangers batters to be hit that night. After Texas pitcher

Scott Feldman Scott Wynne Feldman (born February 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, Toronto ...

hit Adam Kennedy in retaliation, Kennedy stormed the mound and caused a brawl, resulting in several suspensions. In 2007, Guzmán spent almost the entire season in Triple-A. He hit .269 with four home runs, 34 RBI, and 56 stolen bases in 133 games for the

Oklahoma Redhawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. Guzmán hit his first MLB

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

on 11 September, at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium (Detroit), Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, t ...

off

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

) pitcher Clay Rapada.

Detroit Tigers

On 5 December 2007, Guzmán was traded to the

for Chris Shelton. On 27 March, just before the end of spring training, he was sent outright to the Double-A Erie in order to give the organization's younger outfielders more playing time in Triple-A. Guzmán spent the season in the minors, hitting .272 with five home runs, 60 RBI, and 71 stolen bases in 131 games for the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

and

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

Seattle Mariners

Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners and was invited to spring training before the 2009 season. He underwent surgery in early March to repair a broke hamate bone in his right hand. On 11 May, Guzmán was released by the Mariners.

Boston Red Sox

On 16 May 2009, Guzmán was signed by the Boston Red Sox and assigned to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. On 29 July, he was released by the Red Sox.

Baltimore Orioles

On 7 August, Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. He was assigned to the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

in Triple-A.

New York Yankees

On 31 August 2009, the deadline for him to be eligible to appear in the postseason, the

acquired Guzmán for cash considerations. He was assigned to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the S ...

and stole seven bases in seven attempts in six games. On 14 September, the Yankees promoted Guzmán to the major leagues. He was used as a defensive replacement over 10 games down the stretch. The Yankees considered adding him to their roster for the

2009 American League Division Series The 2009 American League Division Series (ALDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2009 postseason that determined the participating teams in the 2009 American League Championship Series. Th ...

, but opted to add another pitcher instead. He was included on their roster for the

2009 American League Championship Series The 2009 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the American League side in Major League Baseball's 2009 Major League Baseball postseason, 2009 postseason, was a best-of-seven-game series matching the two winners of the ...

. He was removed from the roster for the

2009 World Series The 2009 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2009 season. As the 105th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National Le ...

Philadelphia Phillies

In February 2010, Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He was released on 3 April, before the start of the minor league season.

Acereros de Monclova

On 18 March 2011, Guzmán signed with Acereros de Monclova of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He hit .292 with four home runs, 20 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 32 games.

Petroleros de Minatitlan

He was traded to Petroleros de Minatitlan on 26 April 2011 and released on 9 May.

Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen

On 13 March 2012, Guzmán joined Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen. He hit .289 with 56 stolen bases in 71 games that year. His 2013 was even better, hitting .326 with nine home runs, 51 RBI, and 73 stolen bases over 99 games.

Tampa Bay Rays

The

signed Guzmán to a minor league contract on 30 August 2013. His contract was purchased by the Rays on 17 September. He appeared in one game for Tampa Bay, pinch-running for Matt Joyce in the bottom of the 11th down 3-2. Guzmán stole second, then scored the tying run on

David DeJesus David Christopher DeJesus (; born December 20, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Ray ...

's RBI single to tie the game, which they won the next inning 4–3. He was outrighted off the roster on 30 October.

Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen (second stint)

Guzmán re-signed with Ciudad del Carmen for the 2014 season. He hit .340 in 12 games before his season came to an end due to injury. In 2015, Guzmán hit .269 with 47 stolen bases over 112 games.

Vaqueros de la Laguna

on 2 December 2015, Guzmán was traded to Vaqueros de la Laguna. He was released on 15 April after just 11 games.

Toros de Tijuana

On 23 April 2016, Guzmán signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

. He appeared in seven games and was released on 2 May.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On 21 April 2017, Guzmán signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Tigres de Quintana Roo (English: Quintana Roo Tigers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: ...

. He hit .262 with 19 stolen bases before being released on 16 June 2017.

Coaching career

After retiring, Guzmán has served as the

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the Dominican Summer League Nationals since 2020.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guzman, Freddy 1981 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Erie SeaWolves players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne Wizards players Idaho Falls Padres players Lake Elsinore Storm players Leones del Escogido players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Mexican League baseball outfielders Mobile BayBears players New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma RedHawks players Pawtucket Red Sox players Petroleros de Minatitlán players Portland Beavers players San Diego Padres players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Tacoma Rainiers players Tampa Bay Rays players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Yaquis de Obregón players Vaqueros Laguna players Toros de Tijuana players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Minor league baseball coaches Baseball players from Santo Domingo