Cristian Guzmán

[William Malone]

Cristian Antonio Guzmán was born on March 21, 1978 in the Dominican Republic.

He signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1994. The Minnesota Twins acquired him in a 1998 blockbuster trade for All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch. Eric Milton, Brian Buchanan and Danny Mota also came to Minnesota in that deal.

Guzmán debuted in 1999, and had arguably the worst season by a regular Twins starter. He slashed .226/.267/.276 in 131 games, which included 126 starts at shortstop. That was good for a miserable 38 OPS+, and his bWAR was -2.5 that season. But things quickly got better for the speedy shortstop. He stole 28 bases while leading the Majors with 20 triples in 2000, and was named an All-Star in 2001. Guzmán continued to start at shortstop for the Twins throughout their AL Central three-peat in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In ten career playoff games with Minnesota, he slashed .239/.302/.328 with two RBI and one home run.

The Washington Nationals signed Guzmán as a free agent ahead of the 2005 season. His first year in Washington was almost as bad as the disastrous 1999 rookie campaign. Guzmán had shoulder surgery in the off-season, causing him to miss the entire 2006 season. He also underwent an eye surgery to help improve his plate vision, which he later credited after hitting a career best .328 in 2007. Guzmán was an All-Star for a second time in 2008.

He was moved to second base in 2010, and traded to the Texas Rangers at the deadline that season. Guzmán hit .152 during his half season in Texas, and was left off their playoff roster. The Rangers would reach the World Series that fall, losing to the San Francisco Giants in five games. Guzmán never in the Majors or minors again. He briefly signed a minor league contact with the Cleveland Indians in 2012, but was released before spring training ended.

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