Guzman goes deep twice for Express

It would be easy to classify Ronald Guzmán as a power hitter. The 22-year-old homered 28 times in 2015-16 and is off to another strong start this season with five roundtrippers in 36 games.
But the No. 4 Rangers prospect wants nothing to do with the home run, even though his stat lines tend to indicate otherwise.

Guzman went yard twice and drove in three runs, but Triple-A Tacoma rallied to defeat visiting Round Rock, 6-4, on Sunday afternoon at Cheney Stadium. It marked his first multi-homer game with the Express and the second of his career. He hit a pair of solo homers last May 28 with Double-A Frisco.
Gameday box score
Even as his home run stroke emerges, Guzman squashes any talk of himself as a true power hitter.
"I don't want to see myself as a power hitter. I thought that way a few years ago and my approach suffered," the Dominican Republic native said. "I started playing really bad, so I tried to keep it out of my mind. I don't want to think of homers. I know the ball will carry now that I'm bigger.
"I just eliminated that thought process altogether. I try to put the barrel [of the bat] on the baseball. For me, it hasn't really been hard to stay that way. I keep it simple as I can. If I do too much, I'll bring myself back and start from zero and let it flow."
Guzman walked in the first inning and lofted a leadoff homer to right field in the fourth. He went down swinging in his next at-bat, but came to the plate in the eighth with Jurickson Profar on first. Guzman deposited Tacoma reliever Dean Kiekhefer's 0-2 offering over the right-field fence, tying the game, 4-4.
"I pretty much continue to stay relaxed," said Guzman, who is hitting .343. "I'm using my hands more, which has been my focus for the longest time. I'm trying to stay on the pitch for as long as I can to try and see the ball for a longer time. It's a different approach from last year, when I was hitting the ball farther out front. I'm letting the pitch get deep now, which helps my strike zone judgment too."
The results have been positive for the first baseman, who is batting .343/.404/.518 and has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games. Guzman had a strong season with the RoughRiders in 2016, hitting .288/.348/.477 with 15 homers in 102 games before he was promoted to the Express. He struggled during his 25-game cameo in the Pacific Coast League, but he looks back on that experience as a helpful initiation for this year.
"It definitely helped me. I came here last year and didn't know much of anything [about the league]," the 22-year-old said. "I didn't know about the travel, the pitchers and the way they pitch, so it really helped me to focus on certain things during the offseason to help me prepare.
"I'm still young, so I'm coming in here trying to enjoy every game and show the Rangers I'm ready to help when they need me. When they feel the same, I'll be ready and excited, but for now, I just want to help my team win every day."
Mariners No. 9 prospectDaniel Vogelbach and Tyler Smith hit solo homers for the Rainiers. Leonys Martin had three hits and an RBI while second-ranked Tyler O'Neill had two hits, including tie-breaking triple in the eighth.
Andrew Moore, Seattle's No. 4 prospect, allowed two runs on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings.