This former Texas Rangers player is trying to become the next Shohei Ohtani

Things didn’t work out for Ronald Guzman as a member of the Texas Rangers. But maybe they will for him as a player in the New York Yankees’ organization.

Guzman, signed to a minor league deal by the Yankees this past winter, has yet to appear in a big league game since a devastating knee injury he suffered during an April game last season between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. The last image of him as a Ranger was his exit on a cart that evening, a somber one to be sure.

It wasn’t the tenure Guzman or Texas envisioned after he had a strong spring training to win a roster spot in 2021 despite the team trading for Nathaniel Lowe. But now? Guzman is looking to re-invent himself as the next… Shohei Ohtani?

Ronald Guzman is trying to become the next Shohei Ohtani after an unceremonious Texas Rangers tenure

Yup, you read that right.

There’s already a nickname for him, too: “Guzmani”.

Guzman’s career OPS of .718 is actually not too bad, but his career OPS+ of 86 paints the more important picture: he just hasn’t arrived with the bat. But maybe pitching can re-vitalize his career.

Hitting 96 mph on the radar gun is impressive for any pitcher, let alone a position player who plays a position where arm strength doesn’t matter all that much. Ronald “Condor” Guzman clearly has a hidden cannon.

There are position players who have reincarnated as pitchers later in their careers. Think Rick Ankiel or Anthony Gose. There are also those with the talent to hit and pitch: think Ohtani, of course, but also Reds’ star Hunter Greene and the Rays’ Brendan McKay.

If Guzman can refine his mechanics to become anywhere close to decent as a pitcher (and not merely a “thrower”), perhaps the Yankees could have something here in a poor man’s version of the superstar they failed to land in Ohtani. He’s going to have to discover his stroke again to even begin serious comparisons, though.

On the Texas Rangers’ end, there wasn’t a path to clear playing time for Condor after his injury, so all there is to do is wish him the best as he attempts to blaze a new path back to the big leagues.