Chunichi Dragons sign Joel Guzman
by Gen on Dec.19, 2010 @ 12:34 pm, under NPB
12/20/2010 7:25pm JST
Sports Hochi notes that Guzman got a 1-year deal worth US$300,000 (about 25M yen).
12/19/2010 12:34pm JST
It appears the Chunichi Dragons have signed 26-year-old INF Joel Guzman and will be making a formal announcement of the addition at some point in the near future. Guzman can play first, third, and the OF and is said to have more power than Tony Blanco.
Guzman started his MLB career when he signed on with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in 2001; was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006; and then joined the Washington Nationals in 2009, before signing a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles in 2010.
Career and 2010 Stats
| YR | TM | Lvl | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | HBP | IBB | SH | SF | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2010 | BAL | AA | 130 | 509 | 87 | 142 | 21 | 1 | 33 | 98 | 45 | 121 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 15 | .279 | .344 | .519 | 863 |
| MLB Totals | 24 | 56 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .232 | .306 | .321 | 627 | ||
| MiLB Totals | 1014 | 3776 | 516 | 1007 | 208 | 22 | 151 | 600 | 272 | 951 | 50 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 9 | 36 | 97 | .267 | .318 | .453 | 771 | ||
I really like to see Japanese teams sign younger talent under 30. The Dragons organization should be praised for their intelligent usage of the Dominican market in particular.