| Carlos Guillén | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Guillén during a press event for the 2008 MLB All-Star Game | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1975-09-30)September 30, 1975 (age 50) Maracay,Aragua,Venezuela | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 1998, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 18, 2011, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .285 |
| Home runs | 124 |
| Runs batted in | 660 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Carlos Alfonso Guillén (born September 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professionalbaseballinfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball for theSeattle Mariners andDetroit Tigers.
Guillén was signed by theHouston Astros as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1992. He was traded to the Mariners withpitcherFreddy García andJohn Halama in the deal that sentRandy Johnson to the Astros. Guillén made his debut in 1998 and was traded to Detroit at the end of the 2003 season. He retired after the 2011 season. In 1,305 games over 14 seasons, Guillén posted a .285batting average with 124home runs and 660RBI.
In Seattle, Guillén was initially forced to playsecond andthird base with incumbentAlex Rodriguez at shortstop. After Alex Rodriguez signed with theTexas Rangers for the2000 season, Guillén moved back to his natural position. He had a league-average campaign in his first full season with the club.
In Game 3 of the2000 American League Division Series, he hit asqueeze play in the bottom of the ninth inning to scoreRickey Henderson and complete the Mariners' sweep of theChicago White Sox. In September 2001, Guillén was hospitalized after being diagnosed withpulmonary tuberculosis, but was ready for theAmerican League Championship Series against theNew York Yankees the following month.
In2004, Guillén joined a young and restructured Tigers team. In a career year, he led his club inRBI (97),runs (97),doubles (37),triples (10),total bases (283),slugging percentage (.542),OPS (.921), and his .318batting average was only second to .334 of teammateIván Rodríguez. Guillén also got his firstAll-Star berth. However, his breakout season was cut short, as he missed the final month of the 2004 season after tearing hisACL while legging out a triple. He healed well during the 2004 05 offseason and was back to his previous form in time for2005's opening day, although problems with his lefthamstring kept him out of the lineup for much of the year.
Guillén returned to elite status in2006 having another outstanding season. His on-base percentage reached .400 for the first time in his career, and he led all Major League shortstops with a .919OPS. On August 1, 2006, Guillén became the tenth Tiger tohit for the cycle in a game against theTampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2006, Guillén became the first player in modern Major League history to raise his average for six consecutive seasons, batting .320. In the field, however, he tied for the major league lead in errors at shortstop, with 28. On August 6, 2007, he got his 1,000th hit, knocking inCurtis Granderson with two out in the bottom of the first. Guillen hit a home run in extra innings against theYankees ending a marathon game that ended at 3:30 AM due to the length of the game and rain delays. On September 30, 2007, on his 32nd birthday, Guillén hit the 93rd home run of his career and it gave him 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career.
Due to the acquisition of shortstopÉdgar Rentería from theAtlanta Braves during the 2007–2008 offseason, and due to his decreased mobility, Guillén initially moved tofirst base to start the 2008 season. However, on April 22, managerJim Leyland announced that Guillén would be moving to third base, withMiguel Cabrera becoming the new starting first baseman.[1] On September 27, 2008, Tigers managerJim Leyland announced that Guillén would playleft field in 2009.[2] Guillén sat out several weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. Jim Leyland announced Guillén would play left field again in 2010 if he stays healthy, but Guillén publicly stated he would prefer to play third base or shortstop.[3] In May 2010, it was announced that Guillén would be the Tigers 2nd baseman after returning from a hamstring injury which he suffered on April 23, replacing rookieScott Sizemore.
Guillén sat out the first half of 2011 after having microfracture surgery on his left knee in September. He finally returned to play on July 16. Shortly after returning he hit a home run off ofJered Weaver during the July 31, 2011, game vs theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Weaver was upset aboutMagglio Ordóñez hitting a home run off of him earlier, and quipped to Tigers first basemanMiguel Cabrera that he was "an asshole" about the situation. Following the home run, Guillén retaliated by "taunting" Weaver by flipping his bat as he started rounding the bases. Weaver was eventually ejected after throwing a high fastball in retaliation at the head of the following batter, Detroit catcherAlex Avila.[4] On October 30, Carlos elected to become a free-agent, ending his tenure with the Tigers. During the weekend of August 4, 2012, the Tigers held a variety of events in Guillén's honor, which he attended.
On February 1, 2012, Guillén signed a minor league contract with theSeattle Mariners. He also received an invitation to spring training. However, he announced his retirement on March 6, 2012, without playing any games for Seattle that spring.[5]
Guillén has three children with his wife Amelia.
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle August 1, 2006 | Succeeded by |
