Jeison Guzmán

Jeison Guzmán
Guzmán with Leones del Escogido in 2020
Free agent
Shortstop
Born: (1998-10-08) October 8, 1998 (age 26)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Dominican Republic
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Team

Jeison Guzmán (born October 8, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop who is currently a free agent.

Career

Kansas City Royals

Guzmán signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent on July 2, 2015, for a $1.5 million signing bonus.[1] he split the 2016 season between the DSL Royals and AZL Royals, hitting a combined .247/.314/.354/.668 with 1 home run and 19 RBI.[2] He spent the 2017 season with the Burlington Royals, hitting .207/.286/.249/.535 with 0 home run and 15 RBI.[3] He split the 2018 season between Burlington and the Lexington Legends, hitting a combined .254/.327/.356/.683 with 4 home runs and 29 RBI.[4] He spent the 2019 season with Lexington, hitting .253/.296/.373/.669 with 7 home runs and 48 RBI.[5][6]

Guzmán was added to the Royals 40–man roster following the 2019 season.[7] On August 11, 2020, he was promoted to the active roster, but was optioned down on August 14 without making a Major League appearance. He did not play a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] On December 2, he was nontendered by the Royals and became a free agent. On December 16, he signed a minor league contract.[9] He split the 2021 season between the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits, slashing .255/.312/.401 with 6 home runs and 37 RBI in 66 games between the two teams. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.[10]

Arizona Diamondbacks

On November 24, 2021, Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[11] He played in eight games for the Double–A Amarillo Sod Poodles, going 7–for–24 (.292) with one home run and one RBI. Guzmán was released by the Diamondbacks organization on June 5, 2022.[12]

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On August 10, 2022, Guzman signed a minor league contract to return to the Kansas City Royals.[13] He spent the remainder of the year with rookie–level Arizona Complex League Royals and Double–A Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Guzmán remained in the Royals' system in 2023 with Northwest Arkansas and the ACL Royals, playing in 71 games and hitting .234/.344/.414 with 9 home runs, 43 RBI, and 4 stolen bases.[14] He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[15]

References

  1. ^ Jesse Sanchez (July 2, 2015). "Royals sign pair of Dominican Republic prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Eric Longenhagen (December 19, 2016). "Top 20 Prospects: Kansas City Royals". FanGraphs.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Eric Longenhagen (April 30, 2018). "Top 24 Prospects: Kansas City Royals". FanGraphs.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  4. ^ Morgan Vogels (February 11, 2019). "Kansas City Royals: Offseason Prospect Watch, Jeison Guzman". Kings of Kauffman. FanSided. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  5. ^ Alec Lewis (August 12, 2019). "Which prospects should the Royals protect ahead of the Rule 5 draft?". The Athletic. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  6. ^ "Mejia, Machado headline class of 2019 top players, pitchers at Royals affiliates". Fox Sports Kansas City. September 25, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  7. ^ "Royals add four players to 40-man roster; Bonifacio, Dini among four DFA'd". Fox Sports Kansas City. November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". mlbtraderumors.com.
  9. ^ "Royals to Re-Sign Jeison Guzman".
  10. ^ "2021-22 Minor League Free Agents for All 30 MLB Teams".
  11. ^ "Diamondbacks' Jeison Guzman: Inks minor-league deal".
  12. ^ "Jeison Guzmán Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Ten Royals minor leaguers become eligible for free agency". royalsreview.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Rieper, Max (13 September 2023). "The Royals who never got to appear in a MLB game". Royals Review. SB Nation. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.