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  • Cristian Guzmán

    Birth Date: 03/20/1978

    Cristian Guzmán Autograph

    Cristian Guzmán's Autograph

    Cristian Guzmán Bio

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    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.

    Notable Events & Trivia

    • Guzmán was a two time All-Star (2001, 2008)
    • Guzmán led American League in triples three times (2000, 2001, 2003)
    • Guzmán led all shortstops with 21 errors in 2001
    • Guzmán had the first hit in the history of Nationals Park

    Cristian Guzmán Statistics

    Standard Batting Table
    Season Age Team Lg WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ rOBA Rbat+ TB GIDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards
    1999 21 MIN AL -2.5 131 456 420 47 95 12 3 1 26 9 7 22 90 .226 .267 .276 .543 38 .255 31 116 5 3 7 4 0 *6/H  
    2000 22 MIN AL 1.2 156 690 631 89 156 25 20 8 54 28 10 46 101 .247 .299 .388 .687 70 .316 67 245 5 2 7 4 1 *6/HD  
    2001 23 MIN AL 4.8 118 527 493 80 149 28 14 10 51 25 8 21 78 .302 .337 .477 .814 111 .362 112 235 6 5 8 0 0 *6/H AS,MVP-16
    2002 24 MIN AL 1.5 148 656 623 80 170 31 6 9 59 12 13 17 79 .273 .292 .385 .677 79 .299 77 240 12 2 8 6 2 *6/HD  
    2003 25 MIN AL 1.2 143 585 534 78 143 15 14 3 53 18 9 30 79 .268 .311 .365 .676 77 .316 83 195 4 5 12 4 0 *6/H  
    2004 26 MIN AL 1.4 145 624 576 84 158 31 4 8 46 10 5 30 64 .274 .309 .384 .693 78 .310 74 221 15 1 13 4 4 *6/H  
    2005 27 WSN NL -1.4 142 492 456 39 100 19 6 4 31 7 4 25 76 .219 .260 .314 .574 53 .257 42 143 12 1 8 2 6 *6/H  
                                                                     
    2007 29 WSN NL 1.2 46 192 174 31 57 6 6 2 14 2 0 15 21 .328 .380 .466 .846 124 .383 132 81 1 1 0 2 1 6/H  
    2008 30 WSN NL 4.6 138 612 579 77 183 35 5 9 55 6 5 23 57 .316 .345 .440 .786 107 .357 114 255 10 5 1 4 1 *6/H AS
    2009 31 WSN NL 1.6 135 555 531 74 151 24 7 6 52 4 5 16 75 .284 .306 .390 .696 83 .321 88 207 9 1 6 1 0 *6H/D  
    2010 32 2TM 2LG -0.9 104 396 365 48 97 12 4 2 26 4 2 20 63 .266 .311 .337 .648 76 .293 68 123 9 5 4 2 3 46H/9D  
    2010 32 WSN NL -0.3 89 346 319 44 90 11 4 2 25 4 2 17 53 .282 .327 .361 .687 87 .309 82 115 7 5 3 2 3 46H/9D  
    2010 32 TEX AL -0.7 15 50 46 4 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 10 .152 .204 .174 .378 1 .179 -22 8 2 0 1 0 0 /46HD  
    11 Yrs 12.6 1406 5785 5382 727 1459 238 89 62 467 125 68 265 783 .271 .307 .383 .690 80 .313 78 2061 88 31 74 33 18 *64H/9D  
    162 Game Avg 1.5 162 667 620 84 168 27 10 7 54 14 8 31 90 .271 .307 .383 .690 80 .313 78 237 10 4 9 4 2    
                                                               
    MIN (6 Yrs) 7.6 841 3538 3277 458 871 142 61 39 289 102 52 166 491 .266 .303 .382 .685 76 .311 74 1252 47 18 55 22 7 *6H/D  
    WSN (5 Yrs) 5.7 550 2197 2059 265 581 95 28 23 177 23 16 96 282 .282 .317 .389 .706 87 .320 88 801 39 13 18 11 11 64H/9D  
    TEX (1 Yr) -0.7 15 50 46 4 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 10 .152 .204 .174 .378 1 .179 -22 8 2 0 1 0 0 /46HD  
                                                               
    AL (7 Yrs) 6.9 856 3588 3323 462 878 143 61 39 290 102 52 169 501 .264 .302 .379 .681 75 .309 73 1260 49 18 56 22 7 *6H/4D  
    NL (5 Yrs) 5.7 550 2197 2059 265 581 95 28 23 177 23 16 96 282 .282 .317 .389 .706 87 .320 88 801 39 13 18 11 11 64H/9D  
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
    Generated 3/18/2025.

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