Vladimir Gutierrez signed with the Cincinnati Reds on September 7th or 2016. He was just 20-years-old at the time and had defected from Cuba for a chance to play in the Major Leagues.
“In 2015 I told my mom ‘I’m leaving, I know I have this in me and I can become a professional pitcher’ – I went to Puerto Rico, stayed there for a little bit and then went to Mexico and pitched a couple months there,” Gutierrez said on Friday.
The journey to the big leagues after signing wasn’t always a smooth one. The right-handed starter posted ERA’s of 4.