José Manuel Guillén (born May 17, 1976, in
San Cristóbal, Dominican RepublicSan Cristóbal is a province in the southern Dominican Republic, west of the capital Santo Domingo. It was originally named 'Trujillo' after its founder, dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, taking its present name after his assassination in 1961. It included what is now Monte Plata Province until 1992...
) is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
outfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the
Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. Guillen is viewed as somewhat of a controversial player.
Guillén was signed by the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
as an amateur
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
on August 19, . He made his Major League debut on April 1, .
On July 23, , Guillén along with
Jeff SparksJames Jeffrey Sparks was a pitcher for the Major League Baseball Tampa Bay Devil Rays.As of May 2007, Sparks was selling home-and-garden products at Lowe's and attending firefighter school while training with former major league pitcher Mike Marshall....
was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Joe Oliver and
Humberto CotaHumberto Cota is a Major League Baseball catcher who is currently a free agent. His major league debut was on September 9, , for the Pittsburgh Pirates....
. On November 27, , after two injury-plagued seasons with the Devil Rays, the team released him.
On December 18, , Guillén signed with the
Arizona DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
.
José Manuel Guillén (born May 17, 1976, in
San Cristóbal, Dominican RepublicSan Cristóbal is a province in the southern Dominican Republic, west of the capital Santo Domingo. It was originally named 'Trujillo' after its founder, dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, taking its present name after his assassination in 1961. It included what is now Monte Plata Province until 1992...
) is a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
outfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the
Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. Guillen is viewed as somewhat of a controversial player.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Guillén was signed by the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
as an amateur
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
on August 19, . He made his Major League debut on April 1, .
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
On July 23, , Guillén along with
Jeff SparksJames Jeffrey Sparks was a pitcher for the Major League Baseball Tampa Bay Devil Rays.As of May 2007, Sparks was selling home-and-garden products at Lowe's and attending firefighter school while training with former major league pitcher Mike Marshall....
was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Joe Oliver and
Humberto CotaHumberto Cota is a Major League Baseball catcher who is currently a free agent. His major league debut was on September 9, , for the Pittsburgh Pirates....
. 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 DiamondbacksThe Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. He played in only 54 games for the Diamondbacks before being released on July 22, .
Colorado Rockies
Guillén was signed by the
Colorado RockiesThe Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993, the Rockies play in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains, which pass through Colorado, just west of Denver...
on July 29, , but was released just three days later on August 1, before playing in any games.
Oakland Athletics
On July 30, , Guillén was traded by the Reds to the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
for
Aaron HarangAaron Michael Harang is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball....
,
Joe ValentineJoseph John Valentine is a Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He is a 1997 graduate of Deer Park High School in Deer Park, New York, where he led the Falcons to the State championship title game. He married his high school sweetheart...
, and Jeff Bruksch. While he was hitting home runs in 2003, he wasn't 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 SorianoAlfonso Soriano is a professional Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs....
(39-23 in 2002),
Garret AndersonGarret Joseph Anderson is a Major League Baseball left fielder for the Atlanta Braves. Prior to signing with the Braves, he had played his entire 15-year career for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...
(35-24 in 2000), Pudge Rodriguez (35-24 in 1999),
Joe CredeJoseph Taylor Crede is an American Major League Baseball third baseman and who becomes a free agent....
(30-28 in 2006), and
Ryan BraunRyan Joseph Braun , nicknamed The Hebrew Hammer, is an American right-handed All-Star left fielder who broke into Major League Baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers in ....
(34-24 in 2007).
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4200075&name=stark_jayson After the 2003 season he became a
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player, whose contract with a team has expired, who's eligible to sign with another franchise. The term came into wide use in North America after sports leagues stopped using a "reserve clause" after much acrimonious collective bargaining, which provided a...
.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
On December 20, 2003, Guillén was signed by the
Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The Angels have been based in Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966...
. In 2004, he hit .294 with 27
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring runs for himself and each runner who was already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play...
s and 104
RBIRuns batted in or RBI is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play...
for the
Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The Angels have been based in Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966...
, 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 SciosciaMichael Lorri Scioscia is a former catcher and current Major League Baseball manager. He is often referred to by the nickname Sosh. He is an alumnus of Penn State University....
following Scioscia's removal of Guillén in favor of a
pinch runnerA pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
during a crucial game against the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
.
Washington Nationals
On November 19, 2004 he was traded to the
Washington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly-built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK...
for
shortstopShortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Maicer IzturisMaicer E. Izturis is a Major League Baseball infielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is a switch-hitter and throws right-handed...
and
outfielderOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Juan RiveraJuan Luis Rivera is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim....
. 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 home runs 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 one another. However, the tensions below the surface were exposed when, during the second game of the series, Angels pitcher
Brendan DonnellyBrendan Kevin Donnelly is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Florida Marlins. He bats and throws right-handed.-Career:...
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 RobinsonFrank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball player. He was an outfielder, most notably with the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles...
, 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.
- I don't got truly no respect for [Scioscia] anymore because I'm still hurt from what happened last year . . . Mike Scioscia, to me, is like a piece of garbage . . . He can go to hell . . . I can never get over about what happened last year. It's something I'm never going to forget. Any time I play that team, Mike Scioscia's managing, it's always going to be personal to me.
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 MartínezPedro Jaime Martínez is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is a three time Cy Young Award winner. At the time of his 200th win in April , Martínez had the highest winning percentage of any 200-game winner in modern baseball history...
. Martinez hit him with a pitch twice, and after the second time Guillén charged the mound, only to be held back by
Paul Lo DucaPaul Anthony Lo Duca is a Major League Baseball catcher who is currently a free agent. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Florida Marlins , New York Mets , and Washington Nationals...
and umpire
Ted BarrettEdward George "Ted" Barrett is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He joined the American League's full-time staff in 1999, and has worked throughout both major leagues since 2000....
. 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 ligamentThe ulnar collateral ligament is a thick triangular band consisting of two portions, an anterior and posterior united by a thinner intermediate portion....
in his right elbow, which would require ligament replacement surgery.
Seattle Mariners
Before the 2007 season Guillen signed with the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's 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. Guillen helped the Mariners return to the playoff hunt in 2007 after being absent in the previous several.
In 2007 it was reported that in 2003 Guillen had performance-enhancing drugs sent directly to him to the Oakland Coliseum.
Kansas City Royals
On December 4, 2007 Guillen signed a 3-year, $36 million dollar contract with the
Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. His signing moved
Mark TeahenMark Thomas Teahen is a Canadian-American Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals....
to left field, and
Billy ButlerBilly Ray Butler is a Major League baseball first baseman for the Kansas City Royals. He has also played left field and right field....
to
designated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. 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 Guillen 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.
Steroid Controversy
Guillen was linked to performance-enhancing drugs in the
Mitchell ReportThe Mitchell Report is a document that was created by an American fact-finding committee, led by former US Senator George J. Mitchell, on the state of the Arab-Israeli conflict, during the first stages of the al-Aqsa Intifada...
. He was suspended for fifteen games in 2007, but like all players mentioned in the Mitchell Report, he received
amnestyAmnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent persons. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the offense. The word has the same root as amnesia...
. 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. However, Guillen states that he has not worked with Presinal since 2004, though they remain friends, and he continues to claim that he has never used or been offered performance-enhancing drugs.
Infamous Toenail Removal
On Feb. 19, 2009,
The Kansas City StarThe Kansas City Star is a McClatchy newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes...
reported that Guillen removed an
ingrown nailOnychocryptosis is a common form of nail disease. It is an often painful condition in which the nail grows so that it cuts into one or both sides of the nail bed...
himself, unbeknownst to club officials.
- "The doctor saw me (Wednesday)," Guillen said, "and he said we’ll see how it feels in the morning. If it wasn't any better, he wanted me to have surgery. I thought, 'Whoaaa.' . . . So I went on my own (Wednesday) to the pharmacy, got some tweezers, came home and pulled it out myself. Let me tell you, I cried. I had one tough hour. But I got it out . . . I reached in there and poked around until I got the end of it. Then I counted one, two, three and just pulled . . . Oh, my God. It came out, but tears were running down my cheeks."
The "injury" had been mentioned in an article on
Yahoo! NewsYahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....
about the weirdest Spring Training Injuries.
See also
External links