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
Relief pitcher
Born: (1978-08-02) August 2, 1978
Shaker Heights, Ohio
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 in 1996 but did not sign, opting instead to play college baseball at Kent State University. While at Kent State in 1997, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.[1]

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Guerrier was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round of the 1999 MLB Draft. He pitched in the White Sox minor league system through 2001, reaching AAA with the Charlotte Knights.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 27, 2002, he was traded by the White Sox to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Dámaso Marte.[2] He spent the next two seasons pitching in AAA for the Nashville Sounds.

Minnesota Twins

He was selected off waivers by the Minnesota Twins after the 2003 season. 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. On the season he appeared in nine games, making two starts for an 0–1 record and 5.68 ERA.

He did not pick up his first win until September 23, 2006 against the Baltimore Orioles but he became a mainstay of the Twins bullpen.

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. He pitched poorly in the second half, however, sporting an 8.88 ERA. In ​76 1⁄3 innings, he was 6–9 with a 5.19 ERA.[3] He improved greatly in 2009, posting a 5–1 record with a 2.36 ERA and leading the American League with 33 holds.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Guerrier agreed to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 16, 2010.[4] 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 innings worked and became the first pitcher in baseball history with exactly one save in six straight seasons.

In 2012, Guerrier pitched in 7 games in April and was then shut down with right elbow inflammation. 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 5 straight seasons with at least 70 games pitched. Due to the injury, he only appeared in 16 games for the Dodgers in 2012, with a 3.86 ERA.

He pitched in 34 games in 2013 with a 4.80 ERA before he was designated for assignment on June 30.[5][6]

Chicago Cubs

On July 2, 2013 he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Carlos Mármol.[7] He appeared in 15 games for the Cubs and was 2–1 with a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings. He was shut down for the season in August after tearing the flexor muscle in his right forearm.[8]

Second stint with Minnesota Twins

On January 29, 2014 he signed a minor league contract to rejoin the Minnesota Twins.[9] The Twins released Guerrier March 24, 2014 a week prior to the end of Spring Training.[10] He was re-signed the next day.[11] He was designated for assignment on July 23.[12] He elected free agency on July 29.

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.[13]

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References
  1. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. Sullivan, Paul (March 28, 2002). "Deal brings lefty reliever". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  3. "Matt Guerrier". ESPN.com.
  4. Gurnick, Ken (December 16, 2010). "Dodgers sign Guerrier to three-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  5. Laymance, Austin (June 30, 2013). "Dodgers call up Withrow, designate Guerrier". MLB.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. Markazi, Arash (June 30, 2013). "Dodgers recall Withrow, designate Guerrier". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  7. "Carlos Marmol dealt to Dodgers". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
  8. "Matt Guerrier facing 6-8 month recovery for elbow injury". 14 August 2013.
  9. "Matt Guerrier, Twins agree to deal". Associated Press. ESPN.com. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  10. "Twins release Matt Guerrier". Associated Press. ESPN.com. March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  11. Bollinger, Rhett (March 25, 2014). "Day after release, Guerrier re-signs with Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  12. "Twins let Guerrier go, recall reliever Pressly". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 23, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  13. "PITCHf/x Player Card: Matt Guerrier". BrooksBaseball.net. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
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