Franklin Gutiérrez

Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez (born February 21, 1983, in Caracas, Venezuela) is an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed. Gutiérrez was acquired by the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2004 season with a player to be named later (right-handed pitcher Andrew Brown) in exchange for outfielder Milton Bradley and was assigned to Double-A Akron. He entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the ... more

Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez (born February 21, 1983, in Caracas, Venezuela) is an outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed. Gutiérrez was acquired by the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2004 season with a player to be named later (right-handed pitcher Andrew Brown) in exchange for outfielder Milton Bradley and was assigned to Double-A Akron. He entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and the top position prospect, possessing five-tool ability. Los Angeles refused to include Gutiérrez in a deal during the previous off-season that would have sent first baseman Richie Sexson to the Dodgers. In 2005, Gutiérrez posted a .261 batting average with 11 home runs and 42 RBI for Akron, and hit .254 with seven RBI in 19 games with Triple-A Buffalo. Between his two minor league stops, he stole 16 bases in 22 attempts. He was among the players that the Indians called up when major... less