| Juan Gutiérrez | |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals – No. -- | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: July 14, 1983 Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 19, 2007 for the Houston Astros | |
| Career statistics (through 2011 season) |
|
| Win-Loss | 5-10 |
| Earned run average | 4.79 |
| Strikeouts | 152 |
| Teams | |
Juan Carlos Gutiérrez (born July 14, 1983, in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) nicknamed the goot[1] is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball.[2]
Gutiérrez was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Astros on December 14, 2000. He played for Venezuelan Summer League in 2001 and 2002 before playing for their Rookie League teams in 2003 and 2004.
Gutiérrez has been a starter in the minor leagues. In the 2006 AA Texas League, Gutiérrez helped lead the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston) to their lone Texas League championship. On August 17, 2007, he was recalled by the Houston Astros when Stephen Randolph was placed on the disabled list. On August 23, Gutierrez made his major league starting debut against the Washington Nationals, filling in for injured starting pitcher Roy Oswalt. He was sent back down to Round Rock on August 25 to make room for left-handed pitcher Troy Patton.
On December 14, 2007, Gutierrez was traded in a three-player deal which included pitcher Chad Qualls, infielder Chris Burke to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Jose Valverde.
He had a stint as the Diamondbacks closer in 2009 after Qualls was injured. He had 10 saves and was 8 for 8 after replacing Qualls.
Gutierrez was released on October 13, 2011. On December 13, he signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals.