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MLB’s HBP king Brandon Guyer offers to help players overcome fear of getting beaned

By Steve DiMatteo

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 25: Brandon Guyer #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after being hit with a pitch by Charlie Morton #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a game on June 25, 2014 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 25: Brandon Guyer #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after being hit with a pitch by Charlie Morton #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a game on June 25, 2014 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JUNE 25: Brandon Guyer #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after being hit with a pitch by Charlie Morton #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a game on June 25, 2014 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – JUNE 25: Brandon Guyer #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after being hit with a pitch by Charlie Morton #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a game on June 25, 2014 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

Do you or someone you know have a fear of getting hit by a pitch while at the plate? Former Cleveland outfielder Brandon Guyer – the HBP king himself – can help with that!

Former Cleveland outfielder Brandon Guyer enjoyed a pretty decent run with the team during the 2016-18 seasons, hitting .241/.336/.373 with 11 home runs, 61 RBIs and an 89 OPS+ in a platoon role.

But where he really excelled was in getting hit by pitches. So good, in fact, that he was hit by a pitch in an absurd 5.7% of his career plate appearances.

Going back to his days with the Tampa Bay Rays – where he led the American League in HBPs with 24 in 2015 and led all of baseball with 31 HBPs in 2016 splitting time between Tampa Bay and Cleveland – Guyer always had a knack for getting beaned and seemingly absorbing the pain as well as anyone could hope to do.

And now, he’d like to pass his knowledge on to the next generation of baseball players.

Guyer hopped on Twitter this week to let players and parents know that if they or their child has a fear of getting hit by a pitch, “La Piñata” is more than happy to provide tips for overcoming that apprehension at the plate.

It’s not every day you get the chance to learn from the best!

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