By BRENDAN McGAIR
Sports writer
PAWTUCKET – Freddy Guzman was blessed with the gift of being fleet of foot long before joining up with the Pawtucket Red Sox. It wasn’t, however, until recent that the speedy 28-year-old learned the importance of harnessing his skill for the club’s sake.
“I have natural speed,” said Guzman matter-of-factly. There’s no arguing that claim since he’s authored two 56-steal seasons (2007 with Oklahoma and last year with Toledo).
A recent conversation with PawSox skipper Ron Johnson helped bring everything into perspective. Pitchers know Guzman, who had 422 career minor-league steals coming into this season, is thinking stolen base whenever he straggles off of first base. What can make the centerfielder even more of a base-stealing threat, according to Johnson, is if Guzman takes more liberties with his leads.

By striding and stopping, Guzman will command the attention of the pitcher. A couple of throws over to first might keep the Santo Domingo, D.R. native honest, but make no mistake: Guzman is inside the pitcher’s mind.
“There’s too much for the pitcher to think of whenever I reach base,” said Guzman.
Johnson explained to Guzman that by being disruptive, his teammates stand to benefit. The hurler’s concentration becomes wobbly, which increases the propensity he will throw a mistake. If Guzman heeds the wishes of Johnson, the chance to bat leadoff will skyrocket in his favor.
“He has value even when he doesn’t run,” said Johnson. “There are times when you don’t have to run. I told him he can help this team a lot of times by not running, just like (Jacoby) Ellsbury.”
Judging by his recent reinsertion in the leadoff spot, Guzman’s listening skills are acute. That’s where Johnson penciled him upon joining Pawtucket on May 16. What resulted in Johnson displacing Guzman was that the former free agent signee of the Padres (2000) was taking far too many liberties on the base paths, freedoms that were robbing the PawSox of valuable outs.
After spending some time at the other end of the lineup spectrum, Guzman moved from the No. 9 slot to the top on June 16. He hasn’t budged in the two weeks since.
“I like leading off. I’ve done that my whole career,” said Guzman, now in his ninth pro season.
There have been a few recent examples of Guzman impacting the game with his wheels. He led off with a single on Saturday, stole second, then was able to trot home after Jeff Bailey deposited a two-run home run. Johnson also referenced an occurrence on Sunday, when Syracuse starter Garrett Mock went to 3-1 counts on Bailey and Carter after Guzman reached.
“There’s no doubt those counts were a direct relationship to Freddy messing with Mock on the mound,” said Johnson. “That’s the value Freddy can have.”
From strictly an individual standpoint, Bailey, who was called up by Boston on Tuesday, has benefited from batting behind Guzman, who has appeared in big league games with San Diego (2004) and Texas (2006-07). After weeks of being fed a steady diet of breaking pitches, Bailey has seen more fastballs lately. That can be traced to who’s hitting, or on base, ahead of him.
“They start to throw a lot more fastballs to the second batter,” said Guzman when asked if he has noticed a chance in how pitchers are attacking Bailey. “That’s good for the hitters.”
What made Guzman appealing to Johnson upon his arrival was that he brought a fresh dynamic to Pawtucket’s offensive attack. The PawSox have not been known for their thefts in recent seasons, save for the 87 games Ellsbury played for the PawSox in 2007, when the outfielder swiped 33 bags.
“He’s a game-changer,” said Johnson of Guzman, who tops the PawSox with 13 stolen bases despite not being with the club the first month-and-a-half. “He gives you the opportunity to create a lot of (disruption); he’s going to make people nervous.”
This season saw the switch-hitting Guzman get off to a slow start. He went to spring training with Seattle, then hurt his chances to break camp with the Mariners when he got injured. He began the year with Triple-A Tacoma, batting .214 with four stolen bases in 13 games before getting his walking papers May 11.
Asked if he sees any similarities between Guzman and the PawSox player he replaced in centerfield (Jonathan Van Every), Johnson said its like night and day. Guzman counts on his speed to track down balls while Van Every takes pride in making the most adventurous play routine.
“He’s like the total opposite. Freddy is moving 150 miles per hour when he’s catching the ball; it’s a lot of style and flair,” said Johnson. “Van Every covers massive mounts of ground. He posts up to everything with a very smooth silhouette.”