Pedro Guerrero (born June 29, 1956) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1992 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals.
Early life
Pedro Guerrero was born on June 29, 1956, in San Pedro de Macorís on the east coast of the Dominican Republic. Guerrero was barely a teenager when he left school to support his family by cutting cane for the island's rum industry. His earnings were less than US$3 a week for the heavy field labor. The young teenager provided for his divorced mother and siblings by day, but enjoyed playing the drums by night and participated in organized baseball on weekends. By age 16, the hard-hitting Guerrero stood out amongst his peers in a local youth league, primarily at third base.
Latin scouting pioneer Reggie Otero, representing the Cleveland Indians, traveled to San Pedro to scout Guerrero. Otero described his first impression of the Dominican prodigy as follows: "He was five-feet-11, 157 pounds. I looked at the width of his shoulders, back and front, and knew that he would get heavier and stronger. He had lived off of rice and beans." In late 1972, Otero offered Guerrero a pro contract, which included a $2,500 bonus to be paid out on New Year's Day of 1973.
Career
At the age of 17, Guerrero began his career with a season of rookie ball in the remote Gulf Coast League. In April 1974, the Indians, seeking pitching help, traded Guerrero to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league, left-handed pitcher Bruce Ellingsen. Dodgers personnel director Al Campanis had recently hired Reggie Otero, who then recommended the acquisition of Guerrero. Ellingsen pitched only 16 major league games; contrasted with Guerrero's all-star career, the trade ranks as one of the most lopsided straight-up swaps in baseball history.
Guerrero would wait several years before breaking in with the parent club and becoming a full-time big league player. Los Angeles won three pennants between 1974 and 1978, receiving a steady supply of pitching talent from Triple-A Albuquerque and gaining even more assets through trades and free agency. Meanwhile, Guerrero shined in the minors. He hit .300 or better in six seasons and was named to minor league All-Star teams at both first and third base. In 1977, he was leading the Pacific Coast League at AAA Albuquerque with a .403 batting average, when he fractured his left ankle in the field. The injury cost him a call-up to the majors.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Guerrero finally broke into the big leagues in late 1978. His first major league at-bat came in the fifth inning of a September blowout loss against Randy Jones and the San Diego Padres. Pedro pinch-hit for former minor-league roommate and future nemesis Rick Sutcliffe and singled for the first of his 1,618 hits. Exactly one year later, he hit his first major league home run off Padres pitcher Bob Owchinko, appearing in 25 games total in 1979. Pedro made significant contributions to the parent club in 1980. He filled a valuable utility role over two stretches during the season, spelling an ailing Davey Lopes at second and a slumping Rudy Law in the center. Overall, Guerrero played six different positions in 1980 and batted an impressive .322 with 7 homers and 31 RBI in 183 at-bats.
At the start of the 1981 season, incumbent right fielder Reggie Smith was rehabilitating from an arm injury, which opened a spot in right field for Guerrero. The first half of the season was going well, with a batting average of .325 and the Dodgers atop their division, when a players' strike halted the season in early June. After the season resumed in August, Guerrero won the first of five All-Star nods. Guerrero batted only .269 in the second half of the split campaign as the Dodgers posted a mediocre 27–26 record the rest of the way, but the Dodgers were guaranteed a playoff spot for their first-half lead. Guerrero's slump continued into the postseason. The Dodgers were pushed to the brink in two consecutive playoff rounds against Houston and Montreal, but managed to overcome deficits in each series. The Dodgers again faced the New York Yankees in the 1981 World Series, their third Fall Classic matchup in five years. Guerrero factored into three straight wins in Games 3–5, but his crowning performance in Game 6 sealed the series for the Dodgers. In that final game, Pedro totaled five RBIs and eight total bases amassed on a triple, homer, and bases-loaded single. The one-man show capped a 9–2 victory and gave the Dodgers their first World Series title in 16 years. Guerrero was named co-MVP of the Series along with teammates Ron Cey and Steve Yeager.