José Manuel Guillén (pronounced ; born May 17, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball

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 cat ...

. Guillén played for ten

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) teams in his career.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Guillén was signed by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

on August 19, . He made his MLB debut on April 1, and was the team’s everyday right fielder. Guillén made the jump to the Majors having played the entire 1996 campaign in High-A.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

On July 23, , Guillén was traded, along with Jeff Sparks, to 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 venu ...

for Joe Oliver and

Humberto Cota Humberto Cota (born February 7, 1979) is a Mexican former professional baseball catcher. He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). Career Cota was signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves on December 22, . ...

. On November 27, , after two injury-plagued seasons with the Devil Rays, the team released him.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 18, , Guillén signed with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

. He played in only 54 games for the Diamondbacks before being released on July 22, .

Colorado Rockies

Guillén was signed by the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

on July 29, , but was released just three days later on August 1, before playing in any games.

Cincinnati Reds

On August 20, 2002, Guillén signed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Oakland Athletics

On July 30, , Guillén was traded by the Reds to the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

for

Aaron Harang Aaron Michael Harang (born May 9, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariner ...

Joe Valentine Joseph John Valentine (born December 24, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. He is 6'2" tall, weighs 195 pounds and bats and throws right-handed. Early life ...

,((Kyle Wallace)) and Jeff Bruksch. While he was hitting home runs in 2003, he was not taking many walks. He is one of only six players who have concluded a 30-homer season with more homers than walks (31 HR, 29 BB), the others being

Alfonso Soriano Alfonso Guilleard Soriano (born January 7, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball left fielder and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Chicago Cu ...

(39-23 in 2002),

Garret Anderson Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California / Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles D ...

(35-24 in 2000),

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 ...

(35-24 in 1999),

Joe Crede Joseph Taylor Crede (pronounced CREE-dee, born April 26, 1978) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (2000–2008) and the Minnesota Twins (2009). Crede was drafted ...

(30-28 in 2006), and

Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and firs ...

(34-24 in 2007) After the 2003 season he became a

Anaheim Angels

On December 20, 2003, Guillén was signed by the

Anaheim Angels 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 ...

. In 2004, he hit .294 with 27

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 104 RBIs for the Angels, but he was suspended the last two weeks of the regular season and during the postseason for "inappropriate conduct" in publicly expressing his displeasure with Angels manager

Mike Scioscia Michael Lorri Scioscia (, ; born November 27, 1958), nicknamed "Sosh" and "El Jefe", is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim / Los Ange ...

following Scioscia's removal of Guillén in favor of a

pinch runner In baseball, a pinch runner is a player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing another player on base. The pinch runner may be faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been sub ...

during a crucial game against the

Washington Nationals

On November 19, 2004 he was traded to the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

for

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

Maicer Izturis Maicer Eduardo Izturis (; born September 12, 1980) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. During his career he played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

and

Juan Rivera. The move sent Guillén to his sixth team in just five seasons. In 2005, Guillén began his season strongly. In April, he batted .303 with 6

s and 14 RBIs. The Nationals were impressed and on April 29, they exercised his option for 2006. On June 14, 2005, the Nationals began a three-game series against the Angels, who were still helmed by Mike Scioscia. This marked Guillén's first return to Anaheim since being traded. Going into the series, both Guillén and Scioscia kept a civil tone publicly, each indicating that the past was behind them and claiming that they held no hard feelings toward each other. However, the tensions below the surface were exposed when, during the second game of the series, Angels pitcher

Brendan Donnelly Brendan Kevin Donnelly (born July 4, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A right-hander, Donnelly pitched for twenty-one teams (two of them independents), twelve organizations, two independent leagues, eleven organized minor ...

was found with illegal substances on his glove. Donnelly was ejected from the game, and Scioscia came out of the dugout and exchanged hostile words with Nationals manager

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of bot ...

, who had instigated the search of Donnelly's glove. The confrontation led to both teams' benches being cleared as all of the players streamed out on to the field. As he was being restrained by fellow Nationals players, Guillén shouted angry words at the Angels, a number of whom made it clear that they felt their former teammate had been the one who told Robinson to have Donnelly's glove examined. (Several weeks later, Guillén would acknowledge that he had indeed done so.) In the eighth inning of the same game, Guillén hit a two-run home run to tie the game, and the Nationals went on to win. After the series' final game, Guillén blasted Scioscia and acknowledged that despite his earlier statements to the contrary, he was in fact still hurt over what had happened at the end of the 2004 season. Nevertheless, Guillén remained as a crucial ball player for the Washington Nationals. In 2005, he hit .283 with 24 home runs and 76 RBI for Washington. In 2006, he was involved in an incident with

Pedro Martínez Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , for five teams—most notably the Boston Red Sox from to . At the time o ...

. Martinez hit him with a pitch twice, and after the second time Guillén charged the mound, only to be held back by

Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972) is an American retired professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (–), Florida Marlins (2004–, ), New York Met ...

and umpire

Ted Barrett Edward George Barrett (born July 31, 1965) is an American umpire in Major League Baseball. He joined the American League's staff in 1994, and has worked throughout both major leagues since 2000. He has worked in twenty three play-off series, inclu ...

. Guillén appeared in only 69 games and hit only .216 with 9 homers and 40 RBI. On July 25, 2006, he was diagnosed with a tear of the

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

in his right elbow, which would require ligament replacement surgery.

Seattle Mariners

Before the 2007 season Guillén signed with 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) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. His swing, which is very balanced and natural, moved him up in the Mariners' lineup to hit in the coveted third spot during May 2007. Guillén helped the Mariners return to the playoff hunt in 2007 after not making the playoffs since 2001. In 2007 it was reported that in 2003 Guillén had had performance-enhancing drugs sent directly to him in the

Oakland Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...

Kansas City Royals

On December 4, 2007 Guillén signed a 3-year, $36 million contract with the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. His signing moved

Mark Teahen Mark Thomas Teahen (born September 6, 1981) is an American-Canadian former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays. He graduated from Yucaip ...

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 ...

, and Billy Butler to first base. He was suspended for the first 15 days of the 2008 season on December 6, 2007 just hours after passing his physical exam. His 15-game suspension was rescinded on April 11, 2008; after the MLB Players' Association and MLB owners agreed on modifications to the current drug testing program. As a result of the agreement, all players implicated in the Mitchell Report were given amnesty. In a game on August 26, 2008 in Kansas City against the Texas Rangers, Guillén was involved in a confrontation with a fan in the stands just past the Royals dugout down the first base line. He made vulgar gestures and yelled profanity at the fan who had reportedly been heckling him for his lack of hustle. His coaches and teammates had to restrain him as he made his way towards the fan. The fan was removed from his seat. On May 21, 2010 Guillén got his 1,500th career hit in

Kauffman Stadium Kauffman Stadium (), often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhe ...

against the

. On August 5, Guillén was designated for assignment.

San Francisco Giants

On August 13, 2010, Guillén was traded to the San Francisco Giants for cash and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

which turned out to be

Kevin Pucetas Kevin Randall Pucetas (born November 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher. Career Pucetas attended Broome High School and Limestone College. Pucetas was selected in the 17th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, 2006 ...

. But shortly after joining the Giants, he was placed on their restricted list for postseason eligibility because he was being investigated for

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

Alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs

Guillén was linked to performance-enhancing drugs in the

Mitchell Report The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...

. He was suspended for fifteen games in 2007, but was granted

amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

like all other players mentioned in that report. In 2009, he acknowledged that he had worked "for many years" with Angel Presinal, a personal trainer closely linked to performance-enhancing drugs and who is currently banned from major league clubhouses. But he claimed he hadn't worked with Presinal since 2004 although they were still friends, and continues to claim that he has never used (or even been offered) performance-enhancing drugs. In 2010, MLB began an inquiry on shipments of

human growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...

received by Guillén, and directed the Giants to keep him off their postseason roster. On November 14, it was revealed that the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

had intercepted a package of fifty HGH syringes en route to Guillén's house.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guillen, Jose 1976 births Living people Anaheim Angels players Arizona Diamondbacks players Augusta GreenJackets players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Durham Bulls players Erie SeaWolves players Gulf Coast Pirates players Kansas City Royals players Louisville Bats players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Major League Baseball right fielders Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Pittsburgh Pirates players Potomac Nationals players San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Washington Nationals players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2009 World Baseball Classic players