Scouts Life (II): Fred Guerrero
Conversation with the scout who signed Luis Arráez, Miguel Sanó and Yennier Cano.
Frequently, I receive text messages from various baseball professionals, whether I know them or not. The morning a certain “scout” wrote to me asking about a player, I couldn't imagine it was Fred Guerrero, the Director of International Scouting of the Minnesota Twins. However, we continued our communication regardless. That's how, sometime later, I discovered that behind his reports were the signings of players like Miguel Sanó, Jorge Polanco, Yennier Cano, and Luis Arráez, among others.
Arráez told me about Fred in the Miami Marlins clubhouse during the 2024 Opening Day. When I mentioned the two-time batting champion that Fred sent his regards, the response was immediate:
“He signed me without even seeing me. When no one believed in me,” the Venezuelan infielder said with a smile on his face.
Guerrero took risks along the long road of scouting. In 2009, the Twins signed slugger Miguel Sanó for a record amount at that time, and he was compared to Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera. Since seeing him for the first time at the age of 13, Guerrero would drive about an hour and a half between Santo Domingo and San Pedro de Macorís in 2007 to evaluate young Sanó’s progress.
The signing was settled at $3.15 million and had to be approved by the upper echelons of the organization. No other franchise wanted to take a risk on Sanó’s talent. At that time, there was a belief that his true age was altered in reports. However, the Commissioner’s Office conducted its investigation and reported no irregularities.
What began as a scout overseeing the Dominican Republic area eventually led to the position of Director of International Scouting.
Another player under Fred’s watchful eye was Jorge Polanco, an excellent hitter with 11 Major League seasons. When Fred first saw him, he weighed 140 pounds and had not developed much power or speed. In 2014, the Twins promoted him from High-A to the Big Leagues.
Without either of us know, we coincidentally met on March 25, 2019, at the University of Miami field in Coral Gables, during the showcase of Cuban righthander pitcher Yennier Cano. That morning, Cano demonstrated Major League potential with his fastball settled at 96 mph.
“That day I saw Cano in Miami, he showed good control, advanced use of breaking pitches, and a fastball over 94 mph. After seeing him in Miami, we saw him again in the Dominican Republic and then decided to make him an offer,” Guerrero recently confessed to me.
In November 2023, he started a new position with a new franchise: the Kansas City Royals. With the 2015 World Series champions, Guerrero began as an international crosschecker, a type of scout responsible for re-evaluating the signings of talents considered premium (top prospects). This type of evaluator must also provide a second opinion on reports from other scouts and assess potential players from other teams that could be acquired via trade.
I am pleased to present as the second part of our series "Scouts Life," this conversation with Fred Guerrero.
How did you get into the world of scouting?
In 2004, the Minnesota Twins hired me as a supervisor in the Dominican Republic. I had already spent 3 years working with the Milwaukee Brewers in International Operations. I saw it as a tremendous challenge and the perfect job because I wanted a position where scouting would be the main focus.
Evaluate your work in the International Department of the Minnesota Twins and what you learned there.
From 2004 to 2023, alongside an excellent team in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, we signed several impactful Major League players and contributed Minor League players who were used in trades. I learned how to help Latino players reach their highest potential and how to evaluate players at different levels. Mike Radcliff took me under his wing as if I were his son and helped me to develop both as a scout and as a human being. We signed players like Luis Arráez, Yennier Cano, Brusdar Graterol, Miguel Sanó, Jorge Polanco, Danny Santana, Huascar Ynoa, and Luis Gil.
Regarding Cuban players, what do you think of Cuban talent, and do you believe that one day the number of signings will be on par with those from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela?
Cuba is a powerhouse of talent among baseball players. Nowadays, younger players are leaving Cuba to seek professional signings. The number of Cuban players in Major League Baseball will continue to increase, and we can already see how organizations are becoming more interested in Cuban players due to the impact some have had in Major League Baseball.
How was your transition from the Twins to the Royals, and what position do you hold now? What does the role of a crosschecker entail?
After 19 years with the Minnesota Twins between 2004 and 2023, I decided to leave because I felt the need for a new beginning where I could have the opportunity to make an impact. Currently, with the Kansas City Royals, my position is International Scouting Coordinator. I ensure that players of interest undergo a thorough evaluation process, including technology and video analysis. The Kansas City Royals is a tremendous organization, and I am very grateful for the opportunity they have given me.
What qualities do you think a player needs to sign as a professional these days?