The Yankees brought back a center fielder Andrew Velazquez to a minor league contract with a non-drafted Spring Training invitation, reports YES Network’s Jack Curry. CAA’s client is a Bronx native who appeared on his hometown team in 2021.
Velazquez, 30, played for five teams in a major league career that spanned parts of six seasons. Almost half of his playing time came as a member of the Angels in 2023. Velazquez appeared in a record 125 bouts that year. He hit .196 with a .236 on-base percentage but played good defense over 900 shortstop innings. His defensive grades dropped the following year and the Angels waived him that September.
Before his nearly two years in Orange County, he had brief appearances with the Rays, Cleveland, Orioles and Yankees. Velazquez hit .224 over 28 games in pinstripes over the past four years. He played all of last season in Triple-A with the Braves after signing a minor league contract. While he hit 16 homers and stole 33 bases, his overall offense was poor. Velazquez batted nearly a third of the time hitting .242/.298/.394 through 473 plate appearances with Atlanta’s top affiliate.
The righty-swinging Velazquez is a career .189/.244/.293 hitter in 624 major league plate appearances. His glove is a selling point. He logged nearly 1500 major league innings at shortstop. Velazquez played both center field and all three outfield positions in Triple-A last year. He will likely start next season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a versatile depth option.
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