Researching Vince Velasquez

Born in Montclair, California, Velasquez was a multi-sport athlete at Garey High School in Pomona. After bone spurs in his right elbow kept him from pitching and playing shortstop, he learned how to field left-handed. A growth spurt prior to his senior year of high school caused him to draw interest from the soccer and gridiron football teams, but Velasquez opted to focus on baseball on the advice of a scout for the Chicago White Sox. The Astros selected him in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and Velasquez chose to pitch for them rather than honor his commitment to play college baseball as a shortstop for Cal State Fullerton. He was assigned to the Greeneville Astros in 2010, but underwent Tommy John surgery later that year and did not return to the field until 2012. He had a successful season with the Quad Cities River Bandits in 2013, but struggles during a three-game stretch with the Lancaster JetHawks inspired him to sharpen his curveball. The following year, he helped take the JetHawks to a California League championship title.

Velasquez made his major league debut in 2015, replacing Roberto Hernández in the starting rotation after the latter was moved to the bullpen. Velasquez played one season with the Astros before he was traded to the Phillies as part of a major trade that brought Ken Giles to Houston. He had a strong debut for the team, striking out 25 batters in his first two games, but the next few seasons were hindered by injury, including a season-ending finger injury in 2017. By 2020, Velasquez' inconsistent performance had placed his role on the Phillies roster in question, and he took advantage of the MLB's pause to diversify his pitch repertoire and improve his efficacy against batters. Since then, he has alternated between starting games and relief appearances, depending on the needs of the team. The Phillies released him in September 2021.