Ozzie Guillen
From BR Bullpen
Oswaldo Jose Guillen Barrios
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 150 lb.
- Debut April 9, 1985
- Final Game October 1, 2000
- Born January 20, 1964 in Ocumare Del Tuy, Venezuela
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[edit] Biographical Information
Shortstop Ozzie Guillen was an All-Star and a fan favorite while playing with the Chicago White Sox. He later returned to the club as manager and led them to their first World Series title in nearly a century.
[edit] Playing Career
A native of Venezuela, Guillen was signed as a 16-year-old by the San Diego Padres. Originally a switch hitter (he was batting exclusively left handed by the time he reached the majors), he made his pro debut in 1981 with the GCL Padres and hit .259 in 55 games. The next year, he hit .347 with the Reno Padres and led the California League with 183 hits. He hit .295 with the Beaumont Golden Gators in 1983 and .296 with the Las Vegas Stars the following year. After the 1984 season, Guillen was acquired by the Chicago White Sox in a trade for former Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt. Sox fans decried the trade at the time, but Guillen went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1985 and was a mainstay at short for the Sox for over a decade.
Although an extremely popular player with the White Sox, he was one of the weakest offensive forces in the league. He never hit more than four home runs in a season. He regularly was at or near the bottom in walks received (his high total was 26 in a season), and his career on-base percentage was a mere .287. He stole a lot of bases, but got caught too often (including falling for the hidden ball trick at least twice), and while his range in the field was excellent as a young player, the range declined after his mid-career injury. Still, he was perceived as a smart player who was always trying to find a way to win ball games.
[edit] Coaching/Managing Career
After his playing career ended, Guillen was a third base coach for the Montreal Expos (2001), being brought in when Jeff Torborg, who had managed Guillen in Chicago, replaced Felipe Alou in mid-year. He followed Torborg and the rest of the Expo coaching staff to the Florida Marlins in 2002 and was still there when the Marlins won the World Series in 2003.
He took over as the manager of the White Sox for the 2004 season and re-made the club in his image in 2005, by taking a 2004 team with good offense and removing some of the top hitters. Meanwhile, he added to the pitching staff, and ended up with a team of mediocre hitters but excellent pitchers. The hitters were only ninth in the league in runs scored, but the pitching staff had an excellent 3.61 ERA. The pitching was particularly evident in the post-season, when Guillen rode starters Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle to a string of consecutive complete game wins, and then could turn to a rested bullpen led by rookie Bobby Jenks when required in the World Series. The combination was good enough to win the World Series, although critics felt the team had been "lucky", noting that the 99 wins was far more than the Pythagorean prediction of 91 wins. In winning the Series, he became the first Latino manager to guide a club to a World Championship.
Guillen continued the move to "small ball" in 2006, removing sluggers such as Frank Thomas and Carl Everett from the team, and trading Aaron Rowand away. In spring training that year, the White Sox had the worst record in the American League, but started off the regular season with a strong performance due to the hitting of newly-acquired slugger Jim Thome and the pitching of Contreras. Eventually, the team declined and failed to get the wild card slot. The team struggled in 2007, finishing in fourth place with a 72-90 record, the club's worst mark in nearly two decades.
In April of 2008, Guillen accused umpire Phil Cuzzi of having a vendetta against him. Guillen was fined by Major League Baseball for his comments. However, his managerial career rebounded that season, as the White Sox surprised by battling with the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central division title. One of Guillen's most successful moves was committing to rookie Alexei Ramírez, who went on to a 20-homer season with several clutch hits after a very slow start.
He is the father of Oney Guillen.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1985 AL Rookie of the Year Award
- 1985 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- 3-time AL All-Star (1988, 1990 & 1991)
- AL Gold Glove Winner (1990)
- AL Manager of the Year Award (2005)
- Division Titles: 2 (2005 & 2008)
- AL Pennants: 1 (2005)
- Managed one World Series Champion with the Chicago White Sox in 2005
| AL Rookie of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
| Alvin Davis | Ozzie Guillen | Jose Canseco |
| Preceded by Jerry Manuel | Chicago White Sox Manager 2004- | Succeeded by current manager |
[edit] Year-By-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 83-79 | 2nd | Chicago White Sox | |
| 2005 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 99-63 | 1st | Chicago White Sox | Won World Series |
| 2006 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 90-72 | 3rd | Chicago White Sox | |
| 2007 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 72-90 | 4th | Chicago White Sox | |
| 2008 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 89-74 | 1st | Chicago White Sox | Lost ALDS |
| 2009 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 79-83 | 3rd | Chicago White Sox |
