Ronald Enmanuel Guzmán Cepeda (born October 20, 1994) is a Dominican 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 ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: The Eagle of Veracruz) is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. Histor ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously 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 Texas Rangers and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Professional career

Texas Rangers

Minor leagues

Guzmán signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent in 2011, along with

Nomar Mazara Nomar Shamir Mazara Jiminián (born April 26, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball right fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Sa ...

. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the

Arizona League Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is composed m ...

of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...

. He played for the

Hickory Crawdads The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Hickory, North Carolina, and play their home games at L. P. Frans St ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

in 2013, 2014 and at the start of 2015. He finished 2015 with the

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight d ...

of the High–A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

and played in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

after the season. In 2016, Guzmán played for the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

of the Double–A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

(102 games) and for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

of the Triple–A

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

(25 games). He posted a combined stat line of .274/.333/.449/.782 with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs. In 2016 he was selected and appeared in the

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- ...

. On November 18, 2016, the Rangers added Guzmán to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Guzmán spent the 2017 season with the Triple–A

, posting a stat line of .298/.372/.434/.806 with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs. After the 2017 season, the Rangers organization named him their 2017 Tom Grieve Player of the Year (minor league). Guzmán returned to the

to start the 2018 season, playing in 5 games with them before being recalled to the major leagues for the first time.

Major leagues

The Rangers promoted Guzmán to the major leagues on April 13, 2018. He hit his first major league home run on April 14, 2018, to tie a game against the Houston Astros in the top of the eighth inning. On August 10, 2018, he became the first rookie to ever hit three home runs against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. It was his father's first time seeing his son play in a professional game. Guzmán finished his rookie season with a .235/.306/.416/.722 batting line with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs in 123 games. Coming out of spring training in 2019, Guzmán was named the Rangers' starting first baseman. However, he was placed on the 10-day

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

on April 7, 2019, with a right hamstring strain. He was reactivated off the IL on May 9, starting at first base that night. However, after posting a .193/.282/.396/.678 battling line during the first four months of the season, he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on July 23. After slashing an impressive .316/.409/.518/.927 batting line at Nashville, he was called up on September 1 to become the Rangers' everyday first baseman. Guzmán would finish the 2019 season batting .219/.308/.414/.723 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs in 87 games. In 2020 for the Rangers, Guzmán appeared in 26 games, hitting .244/.314/.436 with four home runs and nine RBIs across 78 at-bats. After the 2020 season, he played for

Gigantes del Cibao The Gigantes del Cibao (English language, English: Cibao Giants) are a baseball team that plays in the Dominican Winter League. The team was founded in 1996 as ''Gigantes del Noroeste ''then with a change of ownership the name was changed severa ...

of the

Dominican Professional Baseball League The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League ( or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Repub ...

(LIDOM). He has also played for Dominican Republic in the

2021 Caribbean Series The 2021 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 63rd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian ...

. On April 12, 2021, his first career start in left field and the outfield, Guzmán tore the meniscus in his right knee and was placed on the 10-day injured list the next day. He had been batting .063/.118/.250 in 17 plate appearances at the time of his injury. On April 23, Guzmán underwent season-ending right knee surgery. On April 26, he was placed on the 60-day injured list. Guzmán was outrighted off of the 40-man roster on November 5, and elected free agency the following day.

New York Yankees

On March 13, 2022, Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the

. He played for the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

and began the conversion into a

. The Yankees promoted Guzmán to the major leagues on September 7. On September 10, Guzmán was designated for assignment after going 0-for-6 with 5 strikeouts in limited action. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Scranton on September 12. On October 24, Guzmán elected free agency.

San Francisco Giants

On January 16, 2023, Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

. On February 6, Guzmán was invited to Spring Training and announced as both a pitcher and infielder. On March 14, it was announced that Guzmán would miss 6-8 weeks after suffering a

pronator Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...

strain in his left forearm. On August 20, Guzmán began a rehab assignment with the rookie–level

Arizona Complex League Giants The Arizona Complex League Giants are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Francisco Giants in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Scottsdale Stadium in Sc ...

. After three games, he was released by the Giants organization on August 26.

Baltimore Orioles

On January 25, 2024, Guzmán signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

. In 8 games split between the rookie–level

Florida Complex League Orioles The Florida Complex League Orioles are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Before 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Orioles. The team plays its home g ...

and High–A

Aberdeen IronBirds The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...

, he struggled to a 13.50 ERA with 11 strikeouts and one save across innings pitched. Guzmán was released by the Orioles organization on October 5.

El Águila de Veracruz

On May 24, 2025, Guzmán signed with

of the

Personal life

In 2014, Guzman was home in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

driving his vehicle when he collided with a motorcycle. The crash resulted in the death of the driver of the motorcycle. Guzman did not face any charges from the incident, as the police determined that the motorcycle driver had failed to stop at an intersection. Guzman has one daughter, named Charlotte.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guzman, Ronald 1994 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Arizona Complex League Giants players Arizona League Rangers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Florida Complex League Orioles players Frisco RoughRiders players Gigantes del Cibao players Hickory Crawdads players High Desert Mavericks players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Nashville Sounds players New York Yankees players Sportspeople from La Vega Province Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Surprise Saguaros players Texas Rangers players Toros del Este players Cardenales de Lara players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela