World traveler Guthrie raising baseball’s profile in Spain

But even before becoming a prospect in the Cleveland organization and going on to pitch 13 years in Major League Baseball, as well as stints in the Dominican Republic and Australia, two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spain starting at age 19 changed Guthrie’s outlook on the world. And as determined as he is about spreading love and knowledge of baseball throughout the globe, no place is more important for him to do so than Spain, where he will be conducting clinics this month with the MLBPA’s Alumni Legends.

“I feel passionately about it because I lived there,” said Guthrie of Spain, where he spent time in five different cities in the north of the country during his mission between 1998 and 2000. “I have a deep connection to the people and to the culture.”

Part of that connection was learning Spanish, which Guthrie speaks with ease and, in turn, enabled him to form “a deeper relationship” with his Latin American teammates. “To try to better understand where they come from, the experiences they’ve had in their lives that have helped shape who they became,” Guthrie explained.

Now, in his latest endeavor in the European nation closest to his heart, Guthrie’s goal is to foster more participation in baseball in Spain, which has gotten a boost from players born in Latin America — including such names as former Mets prospect Fernando Martínez and former Major Leaguer Engel Beltre, both born in the Dominican Republic — helping the country capture the 2023 European Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic.

“Because of that, baseball continues to grow, and their talent level has been infused with a lot of players that have more history playing the game in their native countries,” Guthrie said. “I think you have to try to build off of that.”

On his trip to Spain this month, Guthrie and the group representing the MLBPA Alumni Legends will conduct five clinics — one each in Pamplona, Cataluña, Asturias, Galicia and Madrid.

“This one is just to try to build awareness of baseball and softball in Spain, and to give them instruction that would encourage them to continue to play and practice the sport,” Guthrie said of his efforts in the country, which qualified for its first World Baseball Classic in 2013 and looks to get back there in 2026. “I’m just there to support the passionate coaches and organizers that live there and are building baseball on a day-to-day basis. It happens in small pockets and then collectively it happens in the Spanish Baseball Federation based in Madrid. My hope is just to continue to be a presence. My hope is that it would grow in Spain as it has in other countries.”

On a personal level, Guthrie has always been outgoing with teammates and fans. And over the years, his travels have taken him not only to the countries where he was an active player, but also multiple nations in Asia and Europe. But when it comes to growing the game abroad, Spain is the place that sparks the most passion.

“Living there those two years is absolutely what converted me and changed my mindset, and brought out the interest in other people and other cultures,’ he said. “It’s changed really who I am, from the inside out.”