Guillermo Quiroz
Encyclopedia
Guillermo Antonio Quiroz [gee-YARE-mo kee-ROZE] (born November 29, 1981 in Maracaibo, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball
catcher
who is currently in the San Diego Padres
organization.
as a non-drafted free agent
in , before his 17th birthday, with a lucrative $1.5 million signing bonus
. He progressed through Toronto's system as the team's number-one catching prospect. In addition, Baseball America
rated him as the Blue Jays' third best prospect in their pre-season rankings, and the 35th best prospect in all of baseball.
Defensively, Quiroz has good skills. In he threw out 45% of base stealers
, and was the starting catcher for the World Team in the 2003 All-Star Futures Game
.
Despite his low average
in the minors, Quiroz is a patient hitter who receives a significant number of walks
and can hit with decent power. He missed the end of the 2003 season with a collapsed lung
, and the broken hand he suffered in May 2004, hurt his chances of taking over as the Blue Jays' starting catcher in .
In , the Blue Jays signed catcher Jason Phillips initially as the backup to Gregg Zaun
. They later signed Bengie Molina
to be their new starter. This placed three catchers ahead of Quiroz on the Blue Jays' depth chart. On March 31, Quiroz was put on waivers by the Blue Jays, but was picked up by the Seattle Mariners
on the same day. Quiroz started the seventh game of the 2006 season for the Mariners, but was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma Rainers eight days later. Quiroz spent the rest of the season between Triple-A Tacoma and the Double-A San Antonio Missions
.
Quiroz was signed by the Texas Rangers
on December 28, 2006. He spent most of the season with the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks
until a September call-up to the Majors. At the end of the 2007 season, the Rangers outrighted Quiroz to the minors, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent
On December 3, 2007, Quiroz signed a one-year major league contract with the Baltimore Orioles
. He spent the 2008 season as the backup to catcher Ramón Hernández
.
On March 20, 2009, the Orioles released Quiroz, "allowing the two Minor League veterans (the other was Scott Chiasson) to try and hook on with another club before the end of spring." according to Orioles.com On April 20, 2009 Quiroz signed a minor league deal with the Mariners.
On May 14, 2009, assigned to West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (AA) from Tacoma Rainiers (AAA).
On May 26, 2009, was called up from West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx to the Seattle Mariners.
In 2011, Quiroz signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
who is currently in the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
organization.
Biography
Quiroz was signed by the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
as a non-drafted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in , before his 17th birthday, with a lucrative $1.5 million signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
. He progressed through Toronto's system as the team's number-one catching prospect. In addition, Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
rated him as the Blue Jays' third best prospect in their pre-season rankings, and the 35th best prospect in all of baseball.
Defensively, Quiroz has good skills. In he threw out 45% of base stealers
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
, and was the starting catcher for the World Team in the 2003 All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
.
Despite his low average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
in the minors, Quiroz is a patient hitter who receives a significant number of walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
and can hit with decent power. He missed the end of the 2003 season with a collapsed lung
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall. It may occur spontaneously in people without chronic lung conditions as well as in those with lung disease , and many pneumothoraces occur after physical trauma to the chest, blast...
, and the broken hand he suffered in May 2004, hurt his chances of taking over as the Blue Jays' starting catcher in .
In , the Blue Jays signed catcher Jason Phillips initially as the backup to Gregg Zaun
Gregg Zaun
Gregory Owen "Gregg" Zaun is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He is the nephew of former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey. Zaun was a high school teammate of Mark Loretta...
. They later signed Bengie Molina
Bengie Molina
Benjamin José "Bengie" Molina , nicknamed "Big Money", is a former Major League Baseball catcher.He is the older brother of major league catchers José Molina and Yadier Molina....
to be their new starter. This placed three catchers ahead of Quiroz on the Blue Jays' depth chart. On March 31, Quiroz was put on waivers by the Blue Jays, but was picked up by the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
on the same day. Quiroz started the seventh game of the 2006 season for the Mariners, but was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma Rainers eight days later. Quiroz spent the rest of the season between Triple-A Tacoma and the Double-A San Antonio Missions
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres major-league club. The Missions play in Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, located in San Antonio...
.
Quiroz was signed by the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
on December 28, 2006. He spent most of the season with the Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks
Oklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
until a September call-up to the Majors. At the end of the 2007 season, the Rangers outrighted Quiroz to the minors, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent
On December 3, 2007, Quiroz signed a one-year major league contract with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. He spent the 2008 season as the backup to catcher Ramón Hernández
Ramón Hernández
Ramón José Hernández Marin is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who plays for the Colorado Rockies. Previously, he played with the Oakland Athletics , San Diego Padres , Baltimore Orioles , and Cincinnati Reds .-Career:Hernández is a career .263 hitter with 144 home runs, 651 RBI, and 455...
.
On March 20, 2009, the Orioles released Quiroz, "allowing the two Minor League veterans (the other was Scott Chiasson) to try and hook on with another club before the end of spring." according to Orioles.com On April 20, 2009 Quiroz signed a minor league deal with the Mariners.
On May 14, 2009, assigned to West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (AA) from Tacoma Rainiers (AAA).
On May 26, 2009, was called up from West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx to the Seattle Mariners.
In 2011, Quiroz signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
.