When the Nationals first approached Cristian Guzman last year about moving to second base, he was less than enthusiastic. In a career that began in 1999 with Minnesota, he had played shortstop exclusively. After a brief pout — and a heart-to-heart with management — he agreed that changing positions might actually prolong his career. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury that would require surgery postponed the move.
The emergence of Ian Desmond this spring as the everyday shortstop meant fewer reps for Guzman there, but skipper Jim Riggleman thought he’d be able to use him at second, and surprisingly, in the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup. So far, it seems to be working. Entering this weekend, Guzman had appeared in 26 games at second, nine at short and five in right, and was hitting .333 with 15 RBI in 136 plate appearances.
Cristian Guzman was the Nats’ first major foray into the free agent market, signing a 4-year deal on November 16, 2004, six weeks after the move from Montreal was announced. He struggled with the bat his first year in the National League, hitting only .219 in 2005, almost 50 points lower than his career mark. If it looked like he was having trouble seeing the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, he was. Days after the season ended he had laser vision correction, and that changed everything. Just not right away.
As it turned out, he also would require shoulder surgery that would cause him to miss the entire 2006 season. Returning in 2007, he got hurt on Opening Day and didn’t get started in earnest until early May. Seeing the ball much better, Guzman hit .329 into late June when a torn ligament in his thumb — suffered on a tag play — required surgery, and he was done, but for a cameo the final weekend.
As a regular in 2008-09, he continued to put the ball in play. He’s never walked much, but he doesn’t strike out much either. Slowed by bunions last year, he still hit a very respectable .284. Since signing with Washington — and excluding that disastrous 2005 season before his eye procedure — he’s batted .307 in a Nats’ uniform.
Still, there are legions of detractors who habitually knock Guzman on internet message boards. They don’t like his defense — he’s no Gold Glover, I’ll concede that — they don’t like his on-base percentage, they don’t like the way he looks in his uniform, and they think he’s a malcontent, which is the silliest charge of them all. He’s anything but that.
A few weeks ago, I asked Jim Riggleman what he thought the club would do if October rolled around and Guzman — in the final year of his contract — was still hitting above .300 in a regular utility role. “I don’t know,” he said, “but wouldn’t it be a nice problem to have?”
Phil Wood is a contributor to Nats Xtra on MASN. Contact him at [email protected].
