Guillermo Antonio Quiroz (; born November 29, 1981) is a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

and current manager of The Birmingham Barons the AA affiliate of the White Sox. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, Texas Rangers,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Amateur career

Quiróz was born in

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

, Venezuela on November 29, 1981. He played Little League Baseball for Cocquivacoa, and was teammates with

Yusmeiro Petit Yusmeiro Alberto Petit (; born 22 November 1984) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Los Angele ...

. In 1994, Cocquivacoa won Venezuela's first

Little League World Series The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children (primarily boys) aged 10 to 12 years old, held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for th ...

title. Then aged 10, Quiróz started every game that season as a catcher. Two year later, Quiróz won the

Senior League World Series The Senior League World Series is a baseball tournament for adolescents aged 13 to 16 years old that began in 1961. In 2017, the tournament was moved from Bangor, Maine to Easley, South Carolina. (Easley was the site of the Big League World Ser ...

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Quiróz was signed by the

as a non-drafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 1998, before his 17th birthday, with a $1 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He progressed through Toronto's system as the team's number-one catching prospect. In addition,

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

rated him as the Blue Jays' third best prospect in their 2004 pre-season rankings, and the 35th best prospect in all of baseball. Defensively, Quiróz has good skills. In 2003, he threw out 45% of base stealers, and was the starting catcher for the World Team in the 2003

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. He missed the end of the 2003 season with a

collapsed lung A pneumothorax is collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve is formed by ...

. The broken hand and torn arm muscle he suffered in 2004 hurt his chances of taking over as the Blue Jays' starting catcher in 2005.

Gregg Zaun Gregory Owen Zaun (; born April 14, 1971) is an American baseball analyst, public speaker and a former professional baseball catcher, currently he is the interim manager for the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. He played for nine ...

and Greg Myers were re-signed to give Quiróz more time in the minors. However, Quiróz was set further back that season, due to shoulder strain and another collapsed lung. In 2006, the Blue Jays signed catcher Jason Phillips initially as the backup to

. They later signed

Bengie Molina Benjamin José Molina (born July 20, 1974), nicknamed "Big Money", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998–2005), Toronto Blue Jays (2006), San Fran ...

to be their new starter. This placed three catchers ahead of Quiróz on the Blue Jays' depth chart.

Seattle Mariners

On March 31, 2006, Quiróz was put on waivers by the Blue Jays, but was picked up by the

on the same day. Quiróz started the seventh game of the 2006 season for the Mariners, but was outrighted to Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

eight days later. Quiróz spent the rest of the season between Triple-A Tacoma and the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

Texas Rangers

Quiróz was signed by the Texas Rangers on December 28, 2006. He spent most of the 2007 season with the Triple-A

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

until a September call-up to the majors. At the end of the 2007 season, the Rangers outrighted Quiróz to the minors, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 3, 2007, Quiróz signed a one-year major league contract with the

. He spent the 2008 season as the backup to catcher

Ramón Hernández Ramón José Hernández Marin (; born May 20, 1976) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher and current major league staff assistant for the Athletics (baseball), Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB with the ...

. He was invited to spring training and expected to compete for the backup catcher position at the start of the 2009 season, but was released on March 21.

Second stint with Mariners

In April 2009, Quiróz signed a minor league deal with the

. On May 14, 2009, he was assigned to the Double-A

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Marin ...

from the Triple-A

. On May 26, 2009, he was called up from West Tenn to the Seattle Mariners. On June 19, 2009, Quiróz was designated for assignment. He was later re-signed to a minor league deal in February 2010. Quiróz refused an assignment to the Rainiers at the end of the season and became a free agent on November 3, 2010.

San Diego Padres

On January 5, 2011, Quiróz signed a minor league deal with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

. He was invited to spring training to be the backup to

Nick Hundley Nicholas John Hundley (born September 8, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and current front office executive. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Ba ...

, but did not win the job and spent the season playing for the

Tucson Padres The Tucson Padres were a Minor League Baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, that competed in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). They were the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team moved to Tucson from Portland, Oregon, for the 2011 ...

Seattle Mariners (third stint)

On December 14, 2011, Quiróz signed a minor league contract with the

. He received an invitation to spring training, but did not play for the Mariners in 2012. Instead he played for their Triple-A affiliate

Boston Red Sox

On September 4, 2012, the Mariners traded Quiróz to the

for cash considerations. Quiróz was designated for assignment on October 4. According to the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

transactions page, Quiróz was outrighted to the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

on October 10, but chose to become a free agent.

San Francisco Giants

On November 20, 2012, He signed a minor league deal with an invite to spring training with the

. On May 4, 2013 Quiróz hit his first career walk-off home run, a tenth inning, pinch-hit homer against former battery mate

Brandon League Brandon Paul League (born March 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a former closer (baseball), close ...

of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, leading the Giants to a 10–9 victory. He was designated for assignment on August 8. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on August 11. On November 15, 2013, Quiróz signed a minor league contract to return to the Giants. In November 2014, Quiróz was outrighted to Triple A. He refused the assignment and became a free agent on November 3, and then was re-signed to another minor league contract with the Giants. He was released on July 15, 2015.

Cleveland Indians

On February 12, 2016, Quiróz signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

that included an invitation to spring training. In 75 games for the Triple–A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

, he batted .264/.314/.447 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI. Quiróz elected free agency following the season on November 7. Quiróz re–signed with Cleveland on another minor league contract on November 21, 2016. He was released on March 31, 2017.

Coaching career

Quiróz was named a coach for the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

for the 2019 season. In January 2020, he was named manager of the

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and play their home games at Atrium Health Ballpark. The t ...

, the Single-A affiliate of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Quiróz was named manager of the High-A affiliate,

Winston-Salem Dash The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games ...

, for the 2023 season. On January 18, 2025, Quiróz was announced as the manager of the

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

, Chicago's Double-A affiliate.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quiroz, Guillermo 1981 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Baltimore Orioles players Boston Red Sox players Cardenales de Lara players Charleston AlleyCats players Dunedin Blue Jays players Fresno Grizzlies players Hagerstown Suns players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Medicine Hat Blue Jays players New Haven Ravens players Oklahoma RedHawks players Peoria Saguaros players Queens Kings players Sacramento River Cats players San Antonio Missions players San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Baseball players from Maracaibo Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Texas Rangers players Tigres de Aragua players Toronto Blue Jays players Tucson Padres players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players