Fernando Gutiérrez

Fernando José Gutiérrez Gutiérrez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 175 lb.

• Born September 25, 1980 in Acarigua, Portuguesa Venezuela

Biographical Information

Fernando Gutiérrez played four years in the US minor leagues and later in Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and for the Spanish national team.

Gutiérrez was signed by the Baltimore Orioles in 1997. In 1998, he hit .185/~.257/.217 in 32 games for the GCL Orioles as their main catcher. In 1999, he batted .269/~.305/.359 in 23 contests for the Bluefield Orioles. Moved to pitcher, he was 3-2 with a save and a 5.25 ERA for the GCL Orioles in 2000; in 24 innings, he struck out 28 but walked 20. In 2001, Gutiérrez was 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 games for the Delmarva Shorebirds. He struck out 28 in 28 2/3 IP and allowed only a .176 average but walked 21.

As he held a Spanish passport, he qualified for the Spanish national team. The Venezuelan was on Spain's roster for the 2003 European Championship but did not get into a game. He had a save and a 3.00 ERA over five appearances in the 2005 European Championship, tying Carlos Ros for the team lead in pitching appearances. He saved Javier Civit's 5-3 win over France and closed out Pedro Pablo Belmonte's 7-3 Bronze Medal Game win over Germany. He pitched well for the Spanish champion Marlins Puerto Cruz in 2007, going 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 43 IP. He had a 0-1, 1.69 record with two saves in the 2007 European Championship for the Bronze Medalists. He allowed only one hit in 5 1/3 IP and struck out 5 but also walked 5. In the 2007 European Cup, he was smacked for 13 runs in 5 1/3 IP, allowing 15 hits for Marlins Puerto Cruz. He was 0-1 with a 18.56 ERA in the competition.

In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Fernando was 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three appearances. He took the defeat in a 4-3 near-upset of the Japanese national team, allowing a run in the 9th to finalize a loss that began with a great outing by Manny Olivera.

Gutiérrez was 0-1 with a save and a 1.93 ERA as Spain's top hurler in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. He threw 4 2/3 hitless innings, striking out seven, walking four. He took the defeat in a surprisingly close 2-1 loss to the Mexican national team.

For 2008, Gutiérrez signed with HCAW. He debuted on April 20 against Sparta/Feyenoord, striking out two of three batters for the save, working the last inning in a three-man shutout. He went 0-2 with 6 saves and a 4.29 ERA, striking out 23 in 21 innings.

Gutiérrez signed with Rimini in Italy's Serie A1 for 2009. He debuted on April 11, saving a win over Grosseto with 1 2/3 shutout relief innings, walking two and fanning two.

Sources: Honkbalsite, 1999-2002 Baseball Almanacs, IBAF site, 2007 European Championship stats, Marco Stoovelaar's Dutch baseball site, SABR minor league database, Dutch baseball stats, Mister Baseball, Italian Baseball and Softball Federation, Wayback Archive of the 2005 European Championship site