One of the things we have always loved about baseball is how the players can come in all shapes, sizes, and corners of the map. Aaron Guiel was born north of the United States border in Vancouver, BC, Canada. So far north of the border, his high school did not have a formal team. It took a long and grinding road, but Guiel eventually broke through to the big leagues and finished his big league journey in the Bronx.
Aaron Colin Guiel
Born: October 5, 1972 (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Yankees Tenure: 2006
Growing up playing as many club ball games as he could, Guiel eventually found himself playing organized baseball at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, Canada. In June 1992, the California Angels drafted Guiel in the 21st round of the amateur draft. Guiel did not sign until May 1993, a move that added more waiting to a career that would experience its fair share.
Guiel made his professional debut in 1993, playing second base and the outfield for the Boise Hawks in Low-A, and impressed by putting up strong numbers, batting .298 with a .455 on-base percentage across 35 games. This kicked off a three-year streak of him impressing enough to move up a level each season before he finally hit a stalled period. During the 1997 season, the Angels traded Guiel to the San Diego Padres for Angelo Encarnación.
The following season, in 1998, at 25, Guiel finally reached Triple-A. He stayed parked at that level in 1999 and was released by the Padres following the season. Guiel signed and spent a brief amount of time in spring training with the Athletics in 2000. After being cut, it seemed his career might be over, but Guiel found an opportunity playing for the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League. South of the border, Guiel batted .365 with 22 home runs in 56 games, which caught the attention of the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals bought his contract, and Guiel found himself back in Triple-A for the rest of the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Guiel returned to Triple-A at the start of the 2002 season, but that would be the year he finally broke through and reached the big leagues. It took almost a decade from when he was drafted and over 900 minor league games, but on June 22, 2002, Guiel finally became a Major Leaguer. Across 70 games at the major league level in 2002, Guiel slashed .233/.296/.338 with four home runs.
Guiel then bounced up and down over the next several seasons. His best season was in 2003 when he slashed .277/.346/.489 with 15 home runs while platooning in right field and getting run batting from the leadoff spot. Following that performance, Guiel’s career momentum was then derailed in 2004 by blurred vision in his left eye that required multiple surgeries, the first coming in May. Guiel battled back and kept shuffling between different levels in the Royals organization in both 2004 and 2005.
In 2006, Guiel was waived by the Royals, and the Yankees claimed him. These Yankees were desperate for outfield help as Hideki Matsui had broken his wrist and Gary Sheffield was also battling his own wrist injury. The Yankees used the lefty-swinging outfielder in a platoon role.
Guiel ended up appearing in 44 games for the Bombers, splitting time between right field and first base. He hit .256 with four home runs and 11 RBI. Guiel played his final Major League game on October 1, 2006, against the Toronto Blue Jays as he was left off the postseason roster, and with that, his MLB story ended for the time being.
Seeking a larger role and hoping to play more, Guiel moved overseas to play in Japan. He played for five more seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Guiel enjoyed a successful few years in Japan, even earning the nickname The Angel from fans, until injuries eventually shut him down in 2011. Following his playing days, Guiel quickly transitioned into coaching and scouting roles back with the Royals.
Happy birthday, Aaron!
