Pedro Guerrero (baseball)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pedro Guerrero (born June 29, 1956 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his career (1978-1992) with the Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Sioux Falls Canaries (Independent baseball team) from 1993-1994.

[edit] Career

Writer Bill James called Guerrero "the best hitter God has made in a long time." In the minors, he made all-star teams at both first base and third base. Originally signed as a free agent by the Indians, Guerrero was acquired by the Dodgers in exchange for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen. He broke into the Dodger lineup as a replacement for the injured Davey Lopes at second base.

His five RBIs in the final game of the 1981 World Series earned him a piece of the first three-way Series MVP award. In 1982, he became the first Dodger to hit 30 HRs and steal 20 bases in a season, and he did it again the following year.

In 1985, Guerrero tied a major league record with 15 HRs in June en route to tying the Los Angeles record of 33. He also reached base 14 consecutive times that year, two shy of Ted Williams' record, and led the league in slugging, on-base and home run percentage.

Although an aggressive baserunner, he was considered a poor slider. He ruptured a tendon sliding in spring training and missed most of the 1986 season, subsequently curtailing his base-stealing numbers. His .338 BA in 1987 was the highest for a Dodger since Tommy Davis' .348 in 1962. That year, he earned UPI's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Dodger management shifted him to third base (with some time at first base) in mid-career, playing him there sporadically as the need arose. Although he gained a reputation for being shaky at third^{[citation needed]}, he was statistically as good as anyone in the league at getting to the ball. During Los Angeles' 1988 championship season, he was traded to the Cardinals for pitcher John Tudor.

In 1989, Guerrero earned serious MVP consideration, batting .311 with 17 home runs, a career-high 117 RBIs and a league-high 42 doubles. His production fell off sharply afterwards. He finished his career batting just .219 with one home run in 1992 as a shoulder injury limited him to 43 games.

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference

[edit] References

• http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Pedro_Guerrero_1956