Vladimir Gutiérrez Rodríguez (born September 18, 1995) is a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

for 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 ...

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). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Career

Gutiérrez played for the

Cuba national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Cuba'') represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is made up from the most professional players from the Cuban national baseball system. Cuba has been des ...

at the

2014 Central American and Caribbean Games The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games were held November 14–30, 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico.Sport page

. He played in the
Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...
for the
Vegueros de Pinar del Río Vegueros de Pinar del Río (English: Pinar del Río Meadow Growers) is a baseball team in the Cuban National Series. Based in the western city of Pinar del Río, the ''Vegueros'' are historically one of the more successful teams in the Cuban Nati ...
and was the Rookie of the Year for the 2013-2014 season. Gutierrez was selected to represent his country in an international tournament but left his Pinar del Rio team during the Caribbean Series in February 2015 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He made his way to Mexico, where he eventually established residency in May.
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), ...
declared him to be a
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 July 7, 2015. On August 30, 2016, Gutiérrez 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 ...
for $4.75 million. He made his professional debut in 2017 for the
Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in 191 ...
and spent the whole season there, going 7–8 with a 4.46 ERA in 19 starts. He pitched for the
Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...
in 2018 and the
Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...
in 2019. On June 28, 2020, Gutiérrez was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. On November 20, 2020, Gutiérrez was added to the 40-man roster. On April 25, 2021, Gutiérrez was activated off the restricted list and assigned to the alternate training site. On May 28, Gutiérrez was promoted to the major leagues for the first time to be the starting pitcher against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
. In his debut, Gutiérrez took the loss after pitching 5.0 innings of 2-hit ball, one of the two hits being a solo home run from Cubs infielder
David Bote David C. Bote ( , born April 7, 1993) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Chicago Cubs organization. He made his MLB debut in 2018. Amateur career Bote attended Erie High School in Erie, Colorado as a freshman and later transf ...
. He also notched his first strikeout in the game, punching out Cubs catcher
Willson Contreras Willson Eduardo Contreras (born May 13, 1992) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs. Contreras made his MLB debut in 2016 ...
. In his rookie campaign, Gutiérrez was 9–6 over 22 starts, posting a 4.74 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 114 innings. Gutiérrez received a single vote in
National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...
voting, tying him for eighth place with David Bednar.

References

External links
1995 births Living people Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Defecting Cuban baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Cincinnati Reds players Vegueros de Pinar del Rio players Daytona Tortugas players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Louisville Bats players Tigres del Licey players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic People from Pinar del Río {{Cuba-baseball-pitcher-stub