Inverted Balance

A look at the impact of two skills needed at one key position.

December 19, 2010

If you have followed Cuban baseball for some time, let's do a quick little exercise: think of the three shortstops who have impressed you the most in National Series.

I bet none of them was a consistent home run hitter. He was probably a brilliant fielder, capable of turning into outs most of the plays that for other position players would have been hits. The search for unparalleled spectacularity is what makes the difference between an elite player and a shortstop superstar.

I can mention great shortstops that I have seen play in the last 25 National Series, but without a doubt the great historical rivalry was between Germán Mesa (Industriales) and Eduardo Paret (Villa Clara), something we could poetically define as a challenge of “extreme spectacularity” vs. “suspicion” around second base.”

That's how a conversation between star shortstops would begin, discussing the art of fielding at the demanding number six position. However, what hasn't been usual is mentioning the most offensive shortstops in history. Former Las Tunas shortstop Alexander Guerrero is probably one of the most underrated players. Fourteen years ago, Guerrero hit three home runs against Villa Clara pitchers at the Augusto César Sandino stadium.

The Las Tunas Leñadores won 7-3 in 10 innings. Guerrero finished the game with four of Las Tunas' five RBIs. Probably if he hadn't hit two solo home runs, the Leñadores would have won the game before reaching extra innings.

Either way, the relevant story here may surprise you: Guerrero's three-homer game was the only one by a hitter at the Augusto César Sandino stadium. As of today, there are only two stadiums where no batter has been able to hit three home runs in a single game: strangely one of Cuba's home run havens, the Nguyen Van Troi stadium in Guantanamo, and the José Antonio Huelga stadium in Sancti Spiritus.

Guerrero finished the regular season with 22 home runs, setting a new record for shortstops in the history of a single National Series. The following year, he hit 21 home runs and his frequency was slightly better. Guerrero got a home run every 12.8 times he was at bat. Well, there is no doubt that the 2010-2011 season was a great year for Guerrero, who was even used as a cleanup hitter in the lineup when first baseman Joan Carlos Pedroso went on the disabled list. However, it was not the best year for a shortstop in the history of the National Series.

Yes, there was one shortstop who made an impact on the league mostly because of his great batting power between 1985 and 1990.