Guzman Stays with Organization
Robins give up on minor league coaches and hire people they like.
The Brooklyn Robins have tried many different approaches when it comes to minor league coaches and managers. The results have varied at best. There have been top prospects who have flamed out and out of nowhere players that have grown beyond expectations. Yet we can't find a rhyme or reason for any of it. Therefore we are in the process of filling our organization with past players who give us a happy feeling when we see their names on the player personal page.
Last season we started with Mario Mendez. This offseason has already seen the arrival of Hall of Fame Ballot snub Orlando Medrano. There was also an under the radar hire as well. Bob Brandon, who ironically enough, was one of the first players released in 2026 when GM Alan Ehlers took over is now the AAA manager. Brandon had already been a coach the old fashioned way.
Ricardo Guzmán now becomes the 4th former Robin to enter the coaching ranks. Guzman could be viewed as a surprising choice externally, but those in the Brooklyn inner circle know his importance. In 2035 he was brought in to serve as a team captain and DH. The Robins already had a serviceable DH in António Valentín. Though the two players were right and left handed respectively, neither was split heavy and their platoon was viewed as non traditional. Guzman would play against pitchers with poor movement and control, Valentin would play against pitchers with poor stuff. Almost always regardless of pitcher handedness. This forward thinking lead Brooklyn to break down the walls in which platoons usually live.
Even after being displaced by slugging DH Fernando Cruz, Guzmans presence continued to spark creativity. He was occasionally "hidden" late in the season and in the playoffs in the field. If a right handed flyball pitcher was on the hill, he may play 3rd base. If a lefty groundballer took the mound, chances are he'd be standing in rightfield. It was all part of a strategy to hide bad defenders and utilize Brooklyn's vast amount of flexibly all defensive players in what they called the offensive/defensive platoon.
Guzman's leadership is viewed as a big reason for the out of nowhere success of the 2035 Cartwright Cup team. He balanced out a couple of bad apples and kept the train on the tracks so to speak. He was brought back in 2037 to finish what he had started. But do to some technical issues in the league offices, he and Harlan W. Moore were raped of their playoff eligibility. Hard to tell if that would have mattered anyway though.
Guzman, a Mexican native, will be the hitting instructer in George Town on the Grand Caymen Island. He was originally slated for another level. But due to Visa issues, the president of the United States won't let him back in the country.
