Players A to Z, Juan Gutierrez

Juan Gutierrez pitches in relief for the Arizona Diamondbacks. At seasonal age 25, Gutierrez spent his first full season in the majors, giving the Diamondbacks solid work out of the pen. His strength is keeping the ball in the park, as he only allowed two home runs in 71 innings of work. His major league numbers are very much in line with his minor league numbers, so he does indeed look like he’s for real. He did give up a higher batting average with runners in scoring position last season than his overall BA allowed. If those two even out this season, I suspect he’ll post a lower ERA. He’s also working on a two-seam fastball, which he hopes improves his ground ball numbers even more. He’ll be the Diamondbacks setup man this season.