| Ricky Gutiérrez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Washington Nationals – No. 12 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1970-05-23)May 23, 1970 (age 55) Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 13, 1993, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2004, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 38 |
| Runs batted in | 357 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
Ricardo Gutiérrez (born May 23, 1970) is an American formershortstop inMajor League Baseball (MLB) who played from1993 through2004 for theSan Diego Padres (1993–1994),Houston Astros (1995–1999),Chicago Cubs (2000–2001),Cleveland Indians (2002–2003),New York Mets (2004), andBoston Red Sox (2004). He batted and threwright-handed. He was also the onlyHouston Astros player to get a base hit inKerry Wood's 20-strikeout game.
Gutiérrez was theBaltimore Orioles' second pick in the1988 MLB draft, the second of four compensatory supplemental selections between the first two rounds (28th overall).[1] After falling behindManny Alexander on the organization's depth chart at shortstop, Gutiérrez was sent to San Diego on September 4, 1992 to complete a transaction made four days earlier on August 31 whenErik Schullstrom was also dealt to the Padres forCraig Lefferts.[2][3] Listed at 6'1", 195 pounds, Gutiérrez started his career at shortstop and became a valuableutility player later in his career. In the field, he had decent range and an above-average arm. He was a sharp line-drive hitter, and spent most of his career in theNational League.
His most productive season came in 2001 with the Cubs, when he posted career highs inbatting average (.290),RBI (66),runs (76),hits (153) andgames played (147). He finished the year leading theNational League insacrifice hits (17). He also had the fourth-mostsacrifice flies in the league (11), and was tenth insingles (117).
On July 21, 2004, theBoston Red Sox acquired Gutiérrez from theChicago Cubs[4] for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Red Sox General ManagerTheo Epstein lauded Gutiérrez as "a veteran with a tremendous makeup ... he'll fit in well as a utility guy for us." Gutiérrez wore number 16, the same number as other Red Sox players such asJim Lonborg,Hank Johnson,Dave Sax andBob Zupcic. His greatest offensive performance came on August 28, 2004 versus theDetroit Tigers. Gutiérrez, who filled in at second base whileMark Bellhorn took over at third forBill Mueller, went 3 for 4 with a two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. TeammateAlan Embree was in awe: "He's been sitting a long time, to come off the bench and contribute like he did tonight was incredible."
After winning theWorld Series, Gutiérrez carried an industrial-sized broom to remind victory parade goers of the final tally (a 4–0 "sweep" of theSt. Louis Cardinals). While with the Red Sox, Gutiérrez was a .275 hitter (11-for-40) with 3 RBI in 21 games, including 6 runs, 1 double, 1stolen base, and a .310on-base percentage. The Red Sox were 14–7 in games in which Gutiérrez appeared. Over an 11-season career, Gutiérrez was a .268 hitter (967-for-3632) with 38home runs and 357 RBI in 1074 games, including 463 runs, 138 doubles, 25triples, 49 stolen bases, and a .338 on-base percentage.
Gutiérrez's nephew,James Jones, played in theNational Basketball Association, and currently serves as the general manager for thePhoenix Suns.[5] Gutiérrez is currently the third base coach of theWashington Nationals.[6]
· Baseball Almanac