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Where in
the World is Jeremy Guthrie?
by
Kelly L. Martinez
 What
happened to Jeremy Guthrie? He was highly visible a couple
months ago, pitching in the College World Series and leading Stanford
to the bracket final, one win shy of a berth in the national championship
game. On May 28, he was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year.
On June 4, the Cleveland Indians selected him in the first round
of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft with the 22nd
overall pick. Guthrie’s numbers in 2002 were impressive: a 13-2
record in 20 starts; a 2.51 ERA; team-leading numbers in innings
pitched (157.2) and strikeouts (136). Not too shabby for someone
who, in 1998, posted a 5-3 record with a less-than-impressive 6.10
ERA at BYU then took two years off from playing baseball.
But where is
he now? What’s he been doing since Stanford was eliminated from
the CWS by the eventual NCAA champion Texas Longhorns on June 20?
I contacted
Jeremy, who was embroiled in a game of cribbage with his wife when
I called, in Las Vegas on July 17. Graciously, Jeremy fielded questions
for the next 20 minutes and offered a peek into the life of a future
major league baseball player and returned missionary.
 Rebel
Country
Jeremy
and his wife, the former Jennifer Williams, were married
in the Portland Oregon Temple on June 20, 2001 – four days after
the end of the 2001 Stanford season – and have recently moved to
Las Vegas from Palo Alto. They’re so new to the area that when
we spoke, they were still waiting for their records to arrive in
their new ward.
No, they have
no intention of transferring to the University of Nevada at Las
Vegas; it’s the warm weather and mild winters that have attracted
them to the southern Nevada desert.
His baseball
future is still uncertain, but Jeremy has not ruled out returning
to Stanford for one more season. He’s in regular contact with the
Indians, but nothing definite has been announced. “(The Indians)
are in no rush to get me pitching again because of the number of
innings I pitched this last season,” he said. “The team has also
been making some moves within the organization, so no offer has
been made. Things should begin moving along within the next month
or so.”
Mission Possible
As
a youth, Jeremy attended an Especially for Youth conference at BYU
and was inspired to go on a mission by the comments made by Brad
Wilcox, one of the speakers there. “As I listened to (Wilcox)
speak about missionary work,” he recalled, “I felt the Spirit strongly
and realized that serving a mission was the most important thing
I could do.”
Preparing for
a mission became a priority for him, and he was determined to go.
“I was pretty focused on serving a mission my freshman year at BYU,”
Jeremy said. “I think that determination probably took away from
how well I did on the baseball field. When I left for Spain, I
thought that if I worked hard, and it was right, I could be successful
at baseball when I came home. But I was willing to accept that
if it didn’t work out, I would find something else and do my best
at that.”
In June 1998,
Elder Guthrie left for Spain to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary.
When he left, he didn’t know what the future held for him athletically,
but he was willing to accept the possibility that he would not play
college baseball again. He took comfort in the knowledge that what
he was doing was right.
While Elder
Guthrie was in Spain, his parents asked him if he would consider
transferring to Stanford. It was something he quickly became excited
about … especially since Stanford coach Mark Marquess agreed to
take a look at him when he returned from the mission field.
Jeremy returned
in July 2000, transferred to Stanford and began slowly working himself
into playing shape for the 2001 season. Marquess liked what he
saw and initially planned to use Jeremy as a reliever, but was so
impressed with the pitcher’s performance that he placed him in the
starting rotation instead.
Sophomore
Phenomenon
In
2001, less than a year after returning home, Jeremy posted a 13-4
record with a 2.82 ERA, helping lead Stanford to the championship
game in the CWS. The Cardinal lost the title game to Miami, but
Jeremy’s stock had risen, and he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the third round of the MLB Draft. Though he opted to return
to Stanford instead of turning pro, it became evident that he was
one of college’s best pitchers.
Jeremy feels
the improvement in his pitching from before his mission at BYU and
after his mission at Stanford is due to the mental, spiritual and
physical growth that took place on his mission.
Family
Steve
and Clarice Guthrie are parents to three boys and a girl: Paul,
31, Chad, 27, Jeremy, 23, and Amber, 20, who is a student
at BYU-Idaho.
Jeremy was raised
in Oregon and was a three-sport standout at Ashland High School
in Ashland, Ore. On the football team, he played quarterback; on
the basketball team, he played guard; and, of course, he dominated
hitters from the pitcher’s mound on the diamond. Though he considered
playing football at BYU, he decided instead to pursue his baseball
aspirations.
 Scripturally
Sound
“I’ve
never had just one scripture that is a favorite,” said Jeremy, when
asked to cite his favorite passage. “Usually, it’s a different
one at different times in my life; usually one that is especially
applicable to my life at the time. Right now, I find 3
Nephi 13:33 to be of special meaning to me. I think this scripture
puts things into perspective for me … and not just as a baseball
player.”
Jeremy learned
to love the scriptures early on. He is appreciative of the efforts
of a pair of Sunday School teachers from his youth. “My 14-15 year
olds’ class teacher, Michael Cook, was a great example of
faith and taught me a lot about the Book of Mormon,” remembered
Jeremy. “Another Sunday School teacher that had a positive influence
on me was Donna Worden, my 12-13 year olds’ class teacher.”
First Things
First
For
youth-aged athletes, Jeremy feels it’s important to develop a testimony
of the gospel. “A testimony is much more important and useful than
anything you can do in athletics,” he said. “Put time into the
development of a testimony just like you would put in time to develop
any part of your game. There will come a time when you realize
that the gospel is more important than any game you play. If you
start building a testimony when you’re young, it’ll be a lot better
for you when you get older.”
For Fun
Currently
mid-way through the first Harry Potter book, Jeremy is being encouraged
by Jenny to quicken his reading pace. “She’s almost done with the
fourth book and wants me to hurry and finish the first one so we
can rent the movie.”
Whether Jeremy
turns pro this summer or not, it does seem apparent that he will
eventually don a major league uniform in the near future – if not
this year, then certainly next. However, Jeremy does have
alternate aspirations should his baseball ones not come to pass.
“I like *NSync,” he admitted. “I like boy bands and have always
wanted to be in one.”
Bye, bye,
bye.
Photo
credit (all 3): David Gonzales Photography, Gonzalesphoto.com
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