Getting to know ... Junior Guerra
RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER // 6TH MLB SEASON // RANKED 8TH IN NATIONAL LEAGUE APPEARANCES IN 2019
D-backs Insider: Coming off a career-high 72 games for the Brewers in 2019, how do you feel about being one of the newest members of the D-backs?
Junior Guerra: I feel right at home. We are a family, and everyone has welcomed me with open arms. That is the simplest way I can put it. I had a blast getting to know my teammates individually at Spring Training, and the relationship between Latin players and American players is also outstanding.
DI: Which of your new teammates has surprised you the most?
JG: As far as unexpected, Eduardo Escobar surprised me the most. I pictured him as someone serious from afar, but he is super fun.
DI: Growing up near Puerto Ordaz, which was named for famed explorer Diego de Ordaz, who was your mentor as a youngster back in Venezuela?
JG: My mom, Iginia, was always my mentor. She left us too young, passing away from an illness when I was 16. However, she always kept guiding me from heaven. She would always tell me to work hard with a great attitude toward things.
Once she died, I felt more of a responsibility toward protecting my siblings. I’m the second oldest of five. Jennifer is the oldest, then me, Katherine and Russo, Giancarlo and Jairo. The youngest ones were 4 and 6 years old, respectively, when mom died, but she had already made us strong.
DI: So what did you do to help your family during such a tragic time?
JG: I quit playing organized baseball for five years. Thank God Atlanta was patient with me. From then on, I started a journey full of ups and downs that took me all over the world for countless unforgettable experiences. The Mets released me in 2008, and my daughter was born a year later. From there, I went to Spain and played there in 2010. Fast forward to 2011, and I was back in the United States playing independent ball in Wichita in the American Association. On to Mexico in 2012, back to Wichita in 2013 and over to Europe once again in 2014 to play in Italy before the Chicago White Sox signed me in 2015.
DI: Your family is, understandably, very important to you. Didn’t your two daughters have an impact on your Players' Weekend attire last season?
JG: Yes, Veronica and Danna designed my cleats for that weekend. They put “Te Amo” across the straps on them.
DI: Do you have any unforgettable memories from your time in Europe?
JG: Well, let me tell you ... in Spain, I once threw 140 pitches in nine innings! I will never, ever forget that. We won the championship that year. I had a similar experience in Italy, but somehow even crazier. I threw seven innings on a Friday, rested on a Saturday, and then threw another seven innings on Sunday to win the title. It may sound crazy, but you have to understand that you are just trying to survive in those leagues.
DI: So you were a champion in every league you played in before reaching the Majors?
JG: Yes. I won the championship in Spain, Italy, Wichita and Mexico.
DI: Any stories away from the diamond?
JG: Spain won the World Cup when I was there in 2010. I have never been much into soccer, but who doesn’t know when the World Cup is going on? The entire country was on pins and needles in anticipation. I saw the final with my teammates at an apartment the team gave us.