Matt Guerrier

Matthew Olson Guerrier (born August 2, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Matt Guerrier
Guerrier with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013
Pitcher
Born: (1978-08-02) August 2, 1978
Shaker Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 17, 2004, for the Minnesota Twins
Last appearance
July 22, 2014, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record27–35
Earned run average3.52
Strikeouts411
Teams
Guerrier pitching for the Minnesota Twins in 2006

Amateur career

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Guerrier attended Shaker Heights High School. He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 33rd round (979th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign, opting instead to play college baseball at Kent State University.[1] While at Kent State in 1997, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[2]

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Guerrier was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round (309th overall) of the 1999 MLB Draft.[3] He pitched in the White Sox minor league system through 2001, reaching Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights.[4]

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 27, 2002, Guerrier was traded by the White Sox to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Dámaso Marte.[5] He spent the next two seasons pitching in Triple-A for the Nashville Sounds.[4]

Minnesota Twins

On November 20, 2003, Guerrier was selected off waivers by the Minnesota Twins.[6] Guerrier made his Major League debut on June 17, 2004 against the Montreal Expos as the starting pitcher. He worked four innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out three.[7] For the season, he appeared in nine games (two starts), going 0–1 with a 5.68 ERA.[6]

Guerrier did not pick up his first win until September 23, 2006 against the Baltimore Orioles.[8] In 2007, he became a mainstay of the Twins bullpen, finishing the season 2–4 with one save and a 2.35 ERA in 73 relief appearances.[6]

In 2008, the Twins lost primary setup pitcher Pat Neshek to injury early in the season and Guerrier took over part of that role for a short time.[9] He pitched poorly in the second half, however, sporting an 8.88 ERA.[10] Guerrier made 76 appearances in 2008, finishing 6–9 with one save and a 5.19 ERA 76+1⁄3 innings.[6] He improved greatly in 2009, posting a 5–1 record with one save and a 2.36 ERA in 79 relief appearances.[6] He also led the American League with 33 holds.[11]

Los Angeles Dodgers

Guerrier agreed to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 16, 2010.[12] He appeared in a team high 70 games for the Dodgers, the fifth straight season he pitched in at least 70 games. He finished the season 4–3 with a 4.07 ERA in 66+1⁄3 innings worked and became the first pitcher in baseball history with exactly one save in six straight seasons.[6]

In 2012, Guerrier pitched in seven games in April and was then shut down with right elbow tendinitis.[13] He was placed on the 60-day disabled list and did not rejoin the Dodgers until the last week of August, ending his string of five straight seasons with at least 70 games pitched.[14] Due to the injury, he only appeared in 16 games for the Dodgers in 2012, going 0–2 with a 3.86 ERA.[6]

Guerrier pitched in 34 games with the Dodgers in 2013, posting a 2–3 record with a 4.80 ERA before he was designated for assignment on June 30.[15][16]

Chicago Cubs

On July 1, 2013, Guerrier was traded to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Carlos Mármol.[17] He appeared in 15 games for the Cubs, and was 2–1 with a 2.13 ERA in 12+2⁄3 innings.[6] He was shut down for the season in August after tearing the flexor muscle in his right forearm.[18]

Second stint with Minnesota Twins

On January 29, 2014, Guerrier signed a minor league contract to rejoin the Minnesota Twins.[19] The Twins released Guerrier on March 24, 2014, a week prior to the end of Spring Training.[20] He was re-signed the next day.[21] Guerrier was designated for assignment on July 23.[22] At the time, he was 0–1 with a 3.86 ERA in 27 appearances.[6] He elected free agency on July 29.[23]

Pitching repertoire

Guerrier's most commonly thrown pitch is alternately called cutter thrown in the high 80s. He also has a four-seam and two-seam fastball (low 90s), a curveball (78-80), and an occasional changeup to left-handed hitters.[24]

References
  1. "33rd Round of the 1996 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  2. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). Cape Cod Baseball League. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. "10th Round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  4. "Matt Guerrier Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  5. Sullivan, Paul (March 28, 2002). "Deal brings lefty reliever". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. "Matt Guerrier Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  7. "Minnesota Twins vs Montreal Expos Box Score: June 17, 2004". Baseball-Reference.com. June 17, 2004. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  8. "Strikeout gaffe dooms O's; Twins inch closer to playoffs". ESPN. Associated Press. September 23, 2006. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  9. Thesier, Kelly (May 10, 2008). "Neshek likely to miss rest of season". Minnesota Twins. MLB.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  10. "Matt Guerrier 2008 Pitching Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  11. "2009 MLB Player Pitching Stats". MLB.com. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  12. Gurnick, Ken (December 16, 2010). "Dodgers sign Guerrier to three-year deal". Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  13. Jackson, Tony (April 24, 2012). "Dodgers reliever Guerrier (elbow) goes on DL". ESPN. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  14. White, R.J. (August 30, 2012). "Dodgers activate Matt Guerrier from 60-day disabled list". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  15. Laymance, Austin (June 30, 2013). "Dodgers call up Withrow, designate Guerrier". Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  16. Markazi, Arash (June 30, 2013). "Dodgers recall Withrow, designate Guerrier". ESPN. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  17. "Carlos Marmol dealt to Dodgers". ESPN. July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  18. Gleeman, Aarpn (August 14, 2013). "Matt Guerrier facing 6-8 month recovery for elbow injury". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  19. "Matt Guerrier, Twins agree to deal". ESPN. Associated Press. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  20. "Twins release Matt Guerrier". ESPN. Associated Press. March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  21. Bollinger, Rhett (March 25, 2014). "Day after release, Guerrier re-signs with Twins". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  22. "Twins let Guerrier go, recall reliever Pressly". ESPN. Associated Press. July 23, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  23. Todd, Jeff (July 29, 2014). "Minor Moves: Joe Saunders, George Kottaras, Matt Guerrier". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  24. "PITCHf/x Player Card: Matt Guerrier". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
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