Alexander Guerrero Taken Out Of Winter League

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers have mercifully relieved Alexander Guerrero of his duties in the Dominican Winter League. After trying to overcome a leg injury that he sustained on November 12th, he just couldn’t continue. His final winter league stats read .286-.333-.464 in 28 AB’s with one home run, 4 RBI, 4 strikeouts, and 2 walks. From what i’ve read it looks like a Hamstring injury (which is a crucial stem in becoming a real Dodger). It’s some pretty concerning news considering he’s not been able to play regularly since early November. He was set to come back on Friday for the Winter League playoffs in order to help his team try to win a championship, but the Dodgers changed that up. It’s a shame because the Dodgers really wanted to get a good look at Guerrero and see whether he has the stuff to make it in the big leagues.

This development will likely increase the intensity of the search for an adequate backup (unless the team really believes in Dee Gordon for the 3rd time). Take a look at this MLB free agent list (cross out Munenori Kawasaki because he’s taken) that remain. Scroll down to the 2b area and tell me who you like. That’s pretty horrendous no matter which way you look at it, I could see an argument for Alexi Casilla, unfortunately like anyone else on that list not named Stephen Drew, they can’t hit. It’s a scary thought considering the unknown of Guerrero.

We hope he pans out, ZIPS, SB Nations’s Fake Teams, and Obstructed View are all pretty optimistic about Guerrero’s chances in the majors with ZIPS projecting him to be a 2.5 WAR player. Lets hope so. Personally I like Guerrero a, I don’t think it’s fair to make an assumption about his long term prospects based off of an ill fated bout with Winter League. Besides when he did play, he mashed. I think he has a chance to be Brandon Phillips with the bat and a Jason Kipnis with the glove honestly, and if he does that, he’s a 2-3 win player in most seasons. Oh, and he’ll get the honor of having Harold Reynolds think he’s the MVP of the Dodgers, which is always something.