Nelson Javier Velázquez (born December 26, 1998) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs.
| Nelson Velázquez | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Velázquez with the South Bend Cubs in 2021 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 17 | |
| Outfielder / Designated hitter | |
| Born: December 26, 1998 Carolina, Puerto Rico | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 30, 2022, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics (through June 23, 2024) | |
| Batting average | .212 |
| Home runs | 31 |
| Runs batted in | 87 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Career
editChicago Cubs
editThe Chicago Cubs selected Velázquez in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB draft.[1] He made his professional debut that year, playing in the rookie-level Arizona League.[2] In 2018, he split time at the Class A Short Season and Class A levels, batting .231 overall for the season; in 103 games, he had 11 home runs and 40 RBIs.[2] In 2019, he mainly played at the Class A level, where he batted .286 with four home runs and 34 RBIs in 72 games.[2] He then played in the Puerto Rican Winter League in the 2019–20 offseason.[2]
Velázquez did not play professionally during 2020, as the minor-league season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, he played 69 games for the South Bend Cubs, a High-A team, and 34 games for the Tennessee Smokies, a Double-A team.[2] Overall, he batted .270 with 20 home runs and 73 RBIs in 103 game; he also stole 17 bases.[2] After the regular season, he played for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League where he batted .366 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs in 26 games.[2] Velázquez was named MVP of the 2021 Arizona Fall League season, and was also added to the Cubs' 40-man roster following the 2021 season.[3][4]
Velázquez reached the Triple-A level in 2022 with the Iowa Cubs, and was added to Chicago's active roster prior to a doubleheader on May 30. He made his major-league debut the same day, collecting a hit in his first MLB at bat.[5] On July 4, Velázquez hit his first career home run off of Eric Lauer of the Milwaukee Brewers.[6] He played in 77 games for the Cubs in his rookie campaign, hitting .205/.286/.373 with 6 home runs, 26 RBI, and 5 stolen bases.
Velázquez was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to begin the 2023 season.[7] He was recalled back to the Majors, on April 10.[8] The following day, he hit his first career grand slam, to give the Cubs an 8-7 lead against the Seattle Mariners, after they were previously down 7-0.[9] Velazquez was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa on May 8.[10]
Kansas City Royals
editOn July 31, 2023, the Cubs traded Velázquez to the Kansas City Royals for José Cuas.[11] Velazquez was assigned to Triple-A Omaha to begin his time with the Royals. On August 10, 2023, Velazquez was called up to make his Royals debut, hitting a home run in his first plate appearance the next day. Velazquez hit a home run the following day in his second career game for Kansas City, making him 3-8 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs in his first 2 games with the team. [12]
References
edit- ^ "Nelson Velazque Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Nelson Velazquez Minor, Winter & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Boor, William (November 20, 2021). "Cubs' Velazquez wins AFL MVP Award". Mlb.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan (November 19, 2021). "Fall League star Velazquez added to 40-man". Mlb.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan (May 30, 2022). "'He's my bestie': Morel, Velázquez share a baseball brotherhood". MLB.com. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- ^ "Cubs Nelson Velázquez hits first career HR". nbcsports.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ "Cubs' Nelson Velazquez: Optioned to Triple-A level". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "Why the Cubs opted to recall outfielder Nelson Velázquez | Chicago Cubs News". April 11, 2023.
- ^ "Nelson Velazquez's first career grand slam powers Cubs to comeback win vs. Mariners". April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Nelson Velázquez Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Royals add OF Velázquez in trade with Cubs". MLB.com. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
- ^ "Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Recalled from Triple-A". CBSSports.com. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet