Juan Carlos “JC” Gutiérrez Acosta (born July 14, 1983) 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 Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

. He played in

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) for the Houston Astros,

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 ...

, Kansas City Royals,

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 h ...

and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

Career

Houston Astros

Gutiérrez was signed as an undrafted

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 ...

by the Houston Astros on December 14, 2000. He played for Venezuelan Summer League in 2001 and 2002 before playing for their Rookie League teams in 2003 and 2004. Gutiérrez has been a starter in the minor leagues. In the 2006 AA

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, Gutiérrez helped lead the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

(Houston) to their lone Texas League championship. On August 17, 2007, he was recalled by the Houston Astros when Stephen Randolph was placed on the disabled list. On August 23, Gutierrez made his major league starting debut against the Washington Nationals, filling in for injured starting pitcher

Roy Oswalt Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texa ...

. He was sent back down to Round Rock on August 25 to make room for left-handed pitcher

Troy Patton Troy Jamieson Patton (born September 3, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. Patton attended Tomball High School in Tom ...

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 14, 2007, Gutierrez was traded in a three-player deal which included pitcher

Chad Qualls Chad Michael Qualls (born August 17, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, New Yor ...

, infielder Chris Burke to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for

José Valverde José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nicknamed ...

. He had a stint as the Diamondbacks closer in 2009 after Qualls was injured. He had 10 saves and was 8-for-8 after replacing Qualls. Gutiérrez pitched in 20 games for the Diamondbacks in 2011 before he underwent Tommy John surgery in September. Gutiérrez was released on October 13, 2011.

Kansas City Royals

On December 13, he signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. After posting a 10.45 ERA in 20 2/3 innings—19 appearances/4 starts—across three levels of the Royals' Minor League system in 2012, Gutierrez re-signed with the Royals on a minor league deal for 2013 on Oct. 18, 2012. On July 14, Gutiérrez was designated for assignment to make room for Wade Davis, who was reinstated from the paternity leave list. In 25 appearances, he went 0–1 with a 3.38 ERA, striking out 17 in 29.1 innings.

Los Angeles Angels

On July 24, Gutiérrez was claimed off waivers by the

. He was designated for assignment on November 27, 2013. On December 2, 2013, Gutierrez was non-tendered by the Angels, making him a free agent.

San Francisco Giants

He signed a minor league deal with the

on January 6, 2014. On March 29, 2014, he was added to the Giants roster. He was designated for assignment on November 20, 2014. On December 22, 2014, the Giants signed him to a minor league contract. On June 1, 2015, Gutiérrez opted out of his minor league deal with the Giants.

Philadelphia Phillies

On June 8, 2015, Gutiérrez signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies organization. On August 3, 2015, Gutiérrez was released by the Phillies.

Washington Nationals

He then signed with 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 ...

on August 11. He elected free agency on November 6, 2015. On February 22, 2016, Gutiérrez re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league contract. On June 28, 2016, Gutierrez was released by the Nationals Triple-A Affiliate, the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

Leones de Yucatán

On July 13, 2016, Gutierrez signed with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

. On February 9, 2017, he was released by Yucatán.

Saraperos de Saltillo

On May 2, 2017, Gutierrez signed with the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (19 ...