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Vince Velasquez Looking At Pivotal 2018 Season
7 years agoIn his second year with the Philadelphia Phillies, right-hander Vince Velasquez suffered quite the disappointing season. The 25-year-old only made 15 starts, posting a 5.13 ERA and an abysmal 2-7 record. His BB/9 rate jumped from 3.09 in 2016 to 4.25 last season, while his strikeouts almost went down a full two per nine. Velasquez stranded less runners and gave up more home runs, rounding out his complete recipe for failure. Finally, he was knocked out of the season prematurely with a finger injury, another season shortened. Offseason surgery to fix a circulation problem in his throwing hand, however, could be the key to a major turnaround for Velasquez. This, of course, will depend upon his ability to remain healthy throughout. Still young, Velasquez is facing a pivotal season in his career. He will need to rely on his strikeouts and improved ground ball percentage to succeed. He's best suited as a streamer option should he find his groove during the season.
