Surgery gives Guiel whole new outlook

Tim Graham

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998 | 10:42 a.m.

When Aaron Guiel has been able to play, he has been a steady performer for the Las Vegas Stars. But there was a time this summer when Guiel was out of sight.

Earlier this season, astigmatisms in both of Guiel's eyes were giving him troubles. At the plate, he couldn't pick up the ball out of the pitcher's hand. In the outfield, he couldn't track down fly balls.

"I couldn't focus in," said Guiel, who on Tuesday night delivered a pinch-hit, game-tying RBI single in the Stars 6-5 victory over the Tucson Sidewinders at Cashman Field. "The ball would be in the air and I'd have no idea if I could catch up to it or not."

In May he made a crucial decision. He sacrificed a chunk of the season to have operations on both eyes. He underwent laser surgery to correct the astigmatisms and had a procedure done to fix his abnormally dry tear ducts that prevented him from comfortably wearing contact lenses.

Guiel missed 80 games from May 17-Aug. 10. But since returning from his rehab assignment he has shown no ill effects. He is hitting .359 with four home runs and 17 RBIs since his surgeries. He had no home runs before.

"It's been night and day," said Guiel, who is hitting .294 for the season. "I knew once I got my vision back I would have a chance.

"I gave away most of this season to be a better ballplayer for the future. It was a huge decision, but it was the single-best decision of my career."

Stars manager Jerry Royster compared Guiel before the surgery to someone trying to find his way through a strange place in the dark.

"He's hitting the ball much more solid," Royster said. "It's very obvious. His confidence factor shows through in every at-bat. You can see him attacking the ball as opposed to feeling for it."

What outsiders may not detect, however, is Guiel's renewed fervor for the game. He claims the surgeries gave him a whole new outlook on his baseball future.

"It was no fun coming to the ballpark knowing I was going to have to scratch and claw for everything," he said. "It was really damaging to my pride to go out there and be mediocre."

Guiel was so down on his situation he considered retirement if the laser surgery didn't help. That's why he didn't wait until the off-season to ask Royster about having the operations.

"Anytime a ballplayer comes to you and says he needs eye surgery, you don't argue with it," Royster said.

Added Guiel: "They know I'm so much of a competitor that I wouldn't have come to them unless the situation was severe."

Guiel will have additional work done at the end of the year that should increase his vision to 20/15.

"It's so much more fun to play the game now," Guiel said. "Now I play with confidence. Now I know that if I give 110 percent I can be an impact player at the next level instead of giving 110 percent just to be average."