Velázquez, 27, is looking to return to the Majors for the first time in two seasons. He made a splash last year after being cut from the Royals’ 40-man roster during Spring Training. Kansas City released him in May after he hit .202 through his first 33 Triple-A games. Velázquez had to settle for a job in the Mexican league, but played more than 49 games there to play his way back into affiliated ball. He joined the Pirates on a minor league deal and spent the last month playing with their top club in Indianapolis.
The right-hitting Velázquez carried his strong form from Mexico into his second look at Triple-A pitching. He finished the season with a .284/.329/.554 line with five home runs in 79 at-bats. It wasn’t enough to get an MLB call-up from the Pirates, but he did get a non-roster invite from St. Louis.
Velázquez has split his Major League work between the Cubs and Royals. He had a power boom in the second half of the ’23 season, hitting 14 home runs in 40 games after the Royals acquired him from Chicago. That’s his only real major league success, as he struggled on either side of that torrid stretch. Velázquez has a batting line of .212/.286/.433 in 615 plate appearances, which is essentially the equivalent of one full season. He has 31 home runs in that time, but the batting average and on-base numbers haven’t been enough.
The Cardinals are in the midst of a rebuild that should open up some playing time in the outfield. They already did that indirectly with the Willson Contreras trade, which is expected to yield Alec Burleson from the outfield in as a first baseman. St. Louis was able to move the left fielder Lars Nootbaaralthough they may prefer to wait until midseason to show his health following postseason heel surgery. Jordan Walker is poised for a new look in right field in what appears to be a make-or-break year for the former top prospect. There are fewer opportunities available at the designated hitter, where Ivan Herrera gets most of the playing time when he doesn’t catch.
Velázquez has some similarities with Walker and the current prospect Joshua Baez as right-handed power bats. The Cardinals certainly won’t force him into the lineup at the expense of younger players who could be core players. He is their only non-roster outfielder with MLB experience and it seems likely he will open the season with Triple-A Memphis.
#Cardinals #sign #Nelson #Velazquez #Minor #League #deal