Ozzie Guillen

Lore & Background

Guillén was a light-hitting, quick-handed shortstop, emerging from a line of Venezuelan shortstops that included Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio (both White Sox players), Dave Concepción, and Omar Vizquel. He was originally signed as a free agent by the San Diego Padres in 1980. In December 1984, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of an eight-player trade, with Tim Lollar, Bill Long and Luis Salazar in exchange for LaMarr Hoyt. In 1985, Guillén was both the American League Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year, while also becoming just the third rookie shortstop in major league history to win a fielding title. He became known for his daring, aggressive style of play, as demonstrated on August 2, 1985, in a game against the New York Yankees. In 1989, Guillén was the victim of a hidden ball trick twice. On April 21, 1992, Guillén suffered a severe knee injury in a collision with outfielder Tim Raines, causing him to miss almost the entire season. He recovered in 1993 with his most productive season offensively. In October 1997, after 13 seasons with the White Sox, Guillén elected free agency and signed a contract to play for the Baltimore Orioles. In May 1998, the Orioles released him, and he signed with the Atlanta Braves. He helped Atlanta win the 1999 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. The Braves would eventually lose to the New York Yankees in Guillén's only World Series appearance as a player. After playing one year with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000, he retired as a player at the end of the season at the age of 36.

In Their Own Story

The October night in 2005. The ballpark is a pressure cooker. Guillen is standing in the dugout, cap pulled low, eyes locked on the pitcher's mound. The count is full. The crowd noise is a single sustained note, like a jet engine idling. The batter swings. The crack is different from every other crack that night — sharper, more final. Guillen doesn't cheer. He doesn't jump. He just stops breathing for a half-second, looks up at the sky, and then the whole dugout erupts around him. He is still standing there, hands on his hips, staring at the field as if the game hasn't ended yet. A teammate grabs his shoulder. He turns, and his face is wet. He says nothing. He doesn't need to. The pinstripes are already in the air, and somewhere in the stands, a kid is screaming a name that will follow him for the rest of his life.

Reader's Guide

In a 16-year major league career, Guillén played in 1,993 games, accumulating 1,764 hits in 6,686 at bats for a .264 batting average along with 28 home runs, 619 RBI, and a .287 on-base percentage. Guillén was an All-Star in 1988, 1990, and 1991 and won a Gold Glove Award in 1990. He led American League shortstops twice in range factor, once in assists, and once in fielding percentage. Guillén's .974 career fielding percentage ranks 63rd all time among major league shortstops as of 2024, ahead of, among others, of both Luis Aparicio and Dave Concepción. Guillén ranks among the White Sox all-time leaders in games played (sixth), hits (seventh), at-bats (sixth), plate appearances (seventh), total bases (10th) and triples (10th). As a hitter, he was known as a free swinger, posting one of the highest at bats per walk ratios in major league history and also one of the lowest on base percentages for many of the years he played. Guillén played his entire Venezuelan Winter League career with Tiburones de La Guaira.

Did You Know?

• Guillén won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1985.
• He was the first Latino manager in major league history to win a World Series, leading the Chicago White Sox in 2005.
• Guillén's only World Series appearance as a player was with the Atlanta Braves in 1999.
• He was a three-time All-Star (1988, 1990, 1991) and won a Gold Glove in 1990.