Curious indeed! Angels prospect chooses a second triple over hitting for the cycle
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Given the opportunity to cruise into a milestone, Denzer Guzman chose to sprint past it instead.
Needing a double to complete the first cycle of his pro career, the Angels' No. 7 prospect jetted past second base and opted for his second triple of the game in Triple-A Salt Lake's 15-3 romp over visiting Albuquerque on Thursday night.
Regardless of his unique decision, Guzman's four-hit night was just the latest eye-opening performance from the 22-year-old, who is in the midst of one of the best all-around campaigns in the Minors in 2026.
But all of that was lost in the excitement of the moment, which would have been a historic first at The Ballpark at America First Square.
Already with three hits under his belt, including the always-difficult triple, Guzman stepped to the plate in the seventh inning a double away from the first cycle by a Salt Lake player since Monte Harrison on July 29, 2022.
The unusual moment was almost rendered moot anyway. Guzman's 100.4 mph clout came within inches of leaving the ballpark, but instead bounced off the fence in left-center field, back toward the middle of the outfield.
Guzman's decision to pass on the cycle notwithstanding, he still equaled a season high with his four hits, while his 12th homer is just five shy of the career-best 17 he slugged last year across two Minor League levels, which led to a late-season cup of coffee with the Angels.
It was the fourth consecutive multihit game for Guzman, who has picked up right where left off in May, a month in which he slashed .382/.447/.655 with 18 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder's 78 hits leads the Pacific Coast League and is one behind Single-A Fresno's Tanner Thach (COL No. 30) for the most in the Minors. Guzman leads the PCL in RBIs (56), is tied for fourth in batting (.338) and has a .984 OPS, nearly 250 points higher than his career mark of .735.
Josh Lowe, who has more than 1,500 big league at-bats on his résumé, summed up his teammate's big night.
"It's been incredible to watch him go about his business and go up there and hit the ball all over the yard," Lowe said after the game to Bees reporter Sammy Miller. "It's one of those at-bats right now where you don't want to take your eyes off him."