Franklin Gutiérrez | |||
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Gutiérrez with the Seattle Mariners
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Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 28 | |||
Outfielder | |||
Born: Caracas, Venezuela |
February 21, 1983 |||
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MLB debut | |||
August 31, 2005, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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Batting average | .257 | ||
Hits | 765 | ||
Home runs | 96 | ||
Runs batted in | 353 | ||
Stolen bases | 78 | ||
Teams | |||
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez (born February 21, 1983), nicknamed "Guti", is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners. While primarily a center fielder throughout his career, Gutiérrez transitioned to right field for the Mariners in 2016.
On November 18, 2000, Gutiérrez was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent. On April 3, 2004, Gutiérrez was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with a player to be named later (Andrew Brown) to the Cleveland Indians for Milton Bradley and was assigned to Double-A Akron. He entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and the top position prospect, possessing five-tool ability. Previously, Los Angeles refused to include Gutiérrez in a deal over the winter that would have landed the Dodgers first baseman Richie Sexson.
In 2005, Gutiérrez posted a .261 batting average and 42 RBI for Akron, and hit .254 with seven RBI in 19 games with Triple-A Buffalo (then affiliated with the Indians). Between his two minor league stops, he stole 16 bases in 22 attempts. He was among the players that the Indians called up when major league rosters expanded on August 31.