Eddie Guardado is definitely one of the most popular players on the Minnesota Twins. He holds the record for most appearances as a pitcher, and was always the one constant throughout all those really crappy teams in the mid to late 1990s. After Rick Aguilera was traded in 1995, I did not want Dave Stevens to become the closer. Instead, I argued that a tandem of Eddie and Pat Mahomes would be just as successful as long as Tom Kelly mixed and matched and placed them in the right roles to succeed. It was not until six years later, in the waning moments of 2001 when Kelly finally put Eddie in the closer's role.
In 2002, Guardado's first year as the full-time closer, Eddie led the American League in saves and made the All-Star team. However, Eddie is not without his flaws. Mainly, he does not have the blazing fastball one would expect out of a closer. Or the nasty changeup. Or the filthy slider. Or the . . . Basically, Eddie's stuff is pretty ordinary, but he gets by on guile and guts. Unfortunately, guile and guts will be no match for skill and strength from time to time. Ergo, Eddie is always a very hittable closer and is teetering on the brink of disaster often. For example, in Game 5 of the ALDS against Oakland, Eddie nearly blew a four run lead. While that inning was playing out, all of my roommates left the room fearful of what I may do. Then, when things got really interesting, they all came back in order to make sure I did not do something drastic and hurtful like jump out of our ninth floor window. (Believe me, I was getting pretty close.) However, Eddie pulled it out and won me a $1 bet against Calvin from the Marvin Center's housekeeping staff.
This season, Eddie started out very well, but recently things have completely fallen apart. In the game on July 2, Eddie served up homeruns to both Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas in extra innings. What made that loss even more frustrating is that Guzie turned in his finest defensive play of the season by starting a diving double-play with the bases loaded in the tenth. The loss really helped aid the frustration building within the players as they spiralled down towards a terrible finish to the first half. Then, in Eddie's next appearance, he served up an 0-2 fastball right down the middle to Shane Spencer on July 6. The team did not win another game until after the All-Star break. Even more frustrating about that loss was the face that Eddie had just been announced as the team's lone All-Star rather than more deserving candidates like The Crazy Canadian, The Hawk, and Sweet Music.
A mini controversy erupted back in June when it was announced that Terry Ryan would not be negotiating contracts with players like Eddie and The Hawk during the season. This move is very reasonable, and to be expected, but the press managed to blow the whole issue out of proportion. As has been pointed out on the DT Twins Forum, the team really went into the tank at the time that this issue was made public. Whether coincidentally or not, the timing of the problem was not very good. In all actuality, Eddie Guardado will be overrated because of the saves that he has earned in the past two years, and will similarly be overpriced as a free agent. Because of this the Twins should avoid resigning Eddie in the offseason unless his price is much lower than I would expect. After all, Eddie was never considered worthy of the closer's role until he was actually placed in it. Amazingly, he performed quite well. Why is that? Probably because closing is not a skill, but merely the result of being put in to pitch when one's team has a lead. Thus, the team can basically "create" another closer next season (The Rock?). Plus, Eddie now holds the record for most times adjusting oneself per pitch now that Norm Charlton has retired.
Finally, Eddie is known by most people as Everyday Eddie because of his willingness to pitch all the time for manager Tom Kelly during the crappy Twins seasons. However, my friends Chris, Matt, John and Chris' brother formed a ska band back when ska was actually cool and their name was "Fast Eddie G". The nickname fits Guardado as well so I merely transferred it over while watching Twins games. Oh, and from what I can remember, they did not name their band after Guardado but rather after this Eddie G (and I have no idea why).
