Miguel Guzman (minors04)

Michael Angel Guzman Ibarra

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 165 lb.

• Born August 23, 1995 in Leon, Guanajuato MEX

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Diminutive outfielder Miguel Guzman has been playing in the Mexican League since 2013. He made his debut that year with the Acereros de Monclova at the age of 17, but appeared in only 6 games, going 0 for 3. He appeared only briefly as well during the next three seasons with Monclova, as he was serving as a fill-in player, being added to the roster when injuries warranted, but otherwise playing at a lower level. He never had more than 32 plate appearances in any season between 2014 and 2016.

In 2017, he moved to the Pericos de Puebla, but remained in a similar fill-in role, with 18 games and just 15 at-bats. In 2018, the season was split into two halves with two distinct championships, and while he appeared in games in both, it was only for a total of three. He finally got some significant playing time in 2019, when he played 57 games for Puebla at the age of 23, hitting a scorching .412 with 39 runs and 27 RBIs. He obviously always had talent or he wouldn't have been given a look at such a young age way back in 2013, but maybe that showed that teams should have given him a chance at extended playing time earlier. In any case, he continued to hit over the next few seasons, finishing at .346 in 54 games in 2021 (the Liga was shut down by the COVID-19 in 2020, as were the U.S.-based minor leagues). He also began to play winter ball in the Mexican Pacific League around that time, first suiting up for the Algodoneros de Guasave in 2020-21.

After hitting .304 in 81 games in 2022, he had a tremendous season in 2023, when he finished at .346 with 54 runs in 70 games. Puebla won the third championship in its history that year, and he was at the center of things when he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th in Game 6 of the finals on September 15th, being driven in on a single by Cristhian Adames. The Pericos had gone into the inning trailing 4-2 against the Algodoneros del Unión Laguna, but staged a great rally against pitcher Thomas McIlraith and Jesse Ibarra to prevent a seventh game. He hit .222/.278/.222 for the Mexican national team in the 2023 Pan American Games, playing mostly first base rather than the outfield. In 2024, he hit .336 in 87 games for Puebla, with a career-high 8 homers and 38 RBIs.

While he has mostly played center field and left field, he has also been used surprisingly often at first base in spite of his small stature and limited power.