Pedro Guerrero (baseball)
| Pedro Guerrero | |||
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| First baseman / Outfielder / Third baseman | |||
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Born: June 29, 1956 San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 22, 1978, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 4, 1992, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .300 | ||
| Home runs | 215 | ||
| Runs batted in | 898 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Pedro Guerrero (born June 29, 1956) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played all or part of fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1992 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals. Writer Bill James called Guerrero "the best hitter God has made in a long time."
Pedro Guerrero was born June 29, 1956, in San Pedro de Macorís on the east coast of the Dominican Republic. Guerrero was barely a teenager when he left school to help support his family cutting cane for the island's rum industry. His earnings were less than $3 US a week for the heavy field labor. The young teenager provided for his divorced mother and siblings by day, but enjoyed playing the drums during the evening and participating in organized baseball on weekends. By age 16, the hard-hitting Guerrero stood out amongst his peers in a local youth league, primarily at third base.
Latin scouting pioneer Reggie Otero, representing the Cleveland Indians, traveled to San Pedro to scout Guerrero. Otero described his first impression of the Dominican prodigy: "He was five-feet-11, 157 pounds. I looked at the width of his shoulders, back and front, and knew that he would get heavier and stronger. He had lived off of rice and beans." In late 1972, Otero offered Guerrero a pro contract, which included a $2,500 bonus to be paid out on New Year's Day of 1973.
At age 17, Guerrero began his career with a season of rookie ball in the remote Gulf Coast League. In April 1974, the Indians, seeking pitching help, traded Guerrero to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor leaguer left-handed pitcher Bruce Ellingsen. Dodgers personnel director Al Campanis had recently hired Reggie Otero, who then recommended the acquisition of Guerrero. Ellingsen pitched only 16 major league games; contrasted with Guerrero's all-star career, the trade ranks as one of the most lop-sided straight-up swaps in baseball history.
Guerrero would wait several years before breaking in with the parent club and becoming a full-time big league player. Los Angeles won three pennants between 1974 and 1978, receiving a steady supply of pitching talent from Triple-A Albuquerque and gaining even more assets through trades and the free agency. Meanwhile, Guerrero shined in the minors. He hit .300 or better in six seasons and being named to minor league All-Star teams at both first and third base. In 1977, he was leading the Pacific Coast League at AAA Albuquerque with a .403 batting average, when he fractured his left ankle in the field. The injury cost him a call-up to the majors.
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