Charlotte coach Guillermo Quiróz embraces mentor role

Long before Charlotte Knights coach Guillermo Quiróz started his baseball career in the United States, he had already achieved a bit of fame on the diamond in his native Venezuela.

He was a member of the 1994 Maracaibo team that won the Little League World Series, showcasing the promise that would ultimately lead him to the majors.

He eventually appeared in 10 major league seasons with six organizations, including the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays. He’s now making his mark with the prospects currently playing with the Chicago White Sox’s Class AAA affiliate.

Quiróz, 37, is young enough that he played with a number of players on the active Knights roster, including Alcides Escobar. He views his role as a coach and mentor to players of all ages on the Charlotte roster as a critical one.

Quiróz and Rafael Bastidas, the Knights’ manager of Hispanic/Latino Marketing, joined La Vida Baseball Live this week. They shared their excitement as one of Chicago’s top prospects, Eloy Jiménez, joined the Knights to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday night.

Quiróz, who patterned his game as a child after eventual friend and teammate Eddie Pérez, shared some of the important coaches who have impacted his transition into coaching.

Both Quiróz and Bastidas are from Venezuela, as are a couple players on the roster. Charlotte also has Brazilians Thyago Vieira and Paulo Orlando, who are fully fluent in Spanish.

As part of the Copa de la Diversión, the Knights will transform into the Caballeros de Charlotte on June 9 when they will also host former major leaguer Wilson Alvarez and give away an exclusive Jiménez bobblehead doll.

Quiróz compared Jiménez favorably to Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero.

Considering the new jerseys, caps on the field and the unique food options in the concession stands, Charlotte will be a fiesta on June 9.

Watch the video for more great stories from Quiróz and Bastidas.