Mark Guthrie

Mark Andrew Guthrie

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 206 lb.
• School Louisiana State University
• High School Venice (FL) High School
• Debut July 25, 1989
• Final Game September 28, 2003
• Born September 22, 1965 in Buffalo, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

The Minnesota Twins drafted Mark Guthrie in the 7th round of the 1987 amateur draft and he signed with scout Marty Esposito on June 25th. He spent three seasons in the minors and the Twins had him up for 13 games in 1989. The lefthander won 2 and lost 4 with a 4.55 ERA. He was back in the majors in 1990 and appeared in 24 games, going 7-9 with a 3.79 ERA.

Guthrie was a starter in the minors, but spent most of his major-league career as a middle reliever, relying on a good forkball and a herky-jerky motion to get batters out.

After seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Guthrie was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He re-signed with the Dodgers in 1996, hoping to return to the rotation, but Los Angeles was loaded with talented starters. Stuck behind Hideo Nomo, Ramon Martinez, Ismael Valdes, and Pedro Astacio, Guthrie never started a game in a Dodger uniform.

A solid season in 1998 earned Guthrie a two-year, $3.2 million contract from the Boston Red Sox, but the veteran hurler proved ineffective against lefties and was dealt to the Chicago Cubs with Cole Liniak that August for Rod Beck. The trade was the first of many moves for Guthrie, who saw action with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays the following season.

Guthrie signed with the Oakland Athletics for 2001, reuniting him with fellow Twins minor-league farmhand Billy Beane, who was serving as Oakland's GM. When a reporter asked if Beane had been any good as a player, Guthrie declined to answer. "It might hurt my negotiating position," he explained.

Mark was with the New York Mets in 2002, where he went 5-3 with a 2.44 ERA. He was granted free agency and signed with the Chicago Cubs for 2003, winning 2 and losing 3 with a 2.74 ERA, in what was to be his 17th and final active season in professional baseball. He was 37 years old.

Guthrie's minor league numbers show that he won 26 encounters and lost 20, appearing in 60 contests, pitching 366 innings and earning a 3.28 ERA. In the majors he won 51 while losing 54, worked in 765 games, pitching 979 innings for a 4.05 ERA.

His son, Dalton Guthrie, was a 6th-round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2017 amateur draft and made his major league debut in 2022, while another son, Kevin Guthrie, is a minor league coach.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the Minnesota Twins in 1991

Sources

• Baseball-Reference.com
  
• SABR MILB Database:page