Guzman challenges the dual career of pitching.
On February 7 (Korean time), the San Francisco Giants announced the list of invited players for the spring camp in addition to the 40-man roster. There was also Ronald Guzman, who had five years of experience in the big leagues.
Born in 1994, Guzman, a left-handed pitcher, debuted with the Texas Rangers in 2018 and played for the New York Yankees. He is a former colleague of Choo Shin-soo (now SSG) and is a player familiar to domestic fans. First baseman Guzman hit .225/.302/.410 with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs in 246 games over five big league seasons.
But San Francisco didn’t put Guzman on the “infielder” list. San Francisco classified Guzman as a “two-way player” and announced the roster. He means that he will double up as a pitcher in spring camp.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Guzman, who started his professional career with the Texas Rangers in 2012, played only as a fielder for 11 years. However, he recently got on the mound and prepared for his transformation.
Last December, ‘Dominican Baseball Solution’ released Guzman’s pitching video. According to the ‘Dominican Baseball Solution’, Guzman throws a fastball with a maximum speed of 96 mph and a rotation speed of 2,500 rpm, a slider with a speed of 82 mph and a rotation speed of 2,700 rpm, and a changeup with a speed of 84 mph and a rotation speed of 1,943 rpm.
Of course, not everyone who throws a fast ball can succeed as a pitcher. He’s rarely had a long career as a fielder before getting good results on the mound. 메이저놀이터 Christian Betancourt, Matt Davidson, and Anthony Goes tried to convert from fielders to pitchers, but the results were not so good. Shohei Ohtani (LAA) and Brandon McKay (TB) both pitched and hitter from the beginning of their careers, and Michael Lorenzen (DET) plays the role of a fielder little by little while being a pitcher.
Guzman, a promising prospect in Texas, underperformed in the big leagues. His refinement was lacking and his slugging power was unimpressive. Guzman, now in his late 20s, tossing and turning between his minor league contracts, seems to have been trying to find a career path by batting.
As the club even officially classified him as a pitching player, Guzman is expected to get opportunities for both pitcher and hitter in the spring camp. Attention is focusing on whether Guzman will be able to successfully double his pitching career.