SARASOTA, Fla. -- Vince Velasquez has nothing to lose this year, and that makes him dangerous.
The 30-year-old signed a one-year, $3.15 million deal with the Pirates this offseason with the knowledge and security of knowing he'd have a starting rotation spot entering the year ... as long as he's healthy.
In his Grapefruit League debut in Friday night's 1-1 tie with the Orioles, the veteran right-hander showed flashes of what kind of weapon he could be in the back end of Pittsburgh's rotation. After a 31-pitch first inning where he allowed one run on one hit -- featuring a free pass to Anthony Santander that was the result of a pitch timer violation -- Velasquez retired the side in order in the second on just 11 pitches, 10 of which were strikes.
"After that walk, it kind of got in my head a little bit," Velasquez said. "I felt like I was rushed a little bit. Second inning was a new inning, so I knew I had to kind of bear down and execute. [My] secondary was kind of backing up on me. Curveballs were kind of just spinning out of the hand. All offseason it was slider, curveball command. That’s something that really gets me back in the zone. Fastball had a lot of life today. If I could have located those pitches, it would have made things a whole lot easier."
After spending last season with the White Sox, Velasquez is hoping to find renewed life in black and gold, and is confident in what he can bring to the table. After all, he's experienced the highs and lows that come with being a second-round MLB Draft pick that maybe didn't have the early success many had expected he would (outside of an electrifying 16-strikeout performance with the Phillies in 2016).
With up-and-down years under his belt over eight Major League seasons, Velazquez has recently shown that he can be a viable rotation option. He was last a "full-time" starter in 2021, making 21 starts over 25 appearances with the Padres and Phillies. That season, he posted a 6.30 ERA over 94 1/3 innings, striking out 101. He held righties to a .221 average and went 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 45 strikeouts in his first 10 appearances (six starts) with Philadelphia.
In 27 total appearances in 2022 (nine starts) with Chicago, Velazquez turned in a 4.78 ERA in 75 1/3 innings, posting the best walk rate (2.99%) of his career.
Velasquez said it's time to put all of his cards on the table at this stage of his career.
"That's pretty much how I'm thinking about it. I know my cards play very well," said the California native. "I know my stuff plays -- it's just a matter of sequencing it. Every bullpen, every live [session] that I've taken [I've] treated like a real game. This game is going to really humble you, and I think that's where I've realized that you can't bury me any more than I've already been down, so it's just a matter of keeping my head above the surface and realizing that there's so much more up in the air. I think that's where I've realized that I'm due for a lot of success."
Velasquez took a different routine coming into this season, prepping for a larger inning count working at the Chapman Baseball Compound. He even received visits from team pitching coach Oscar Marin.
"I think the preparation in the offseason is really key," Velasquez said. "I think that’s what is driving me to prepare and get myself routines to allow myself to do what I need to do to get ready for every fifth day. That makes it a whole lot easier going into the regular season, rather than being a little bit doubtful of what the role is. Can I do it? Of course. I’ve done it for the last three or four years. It just sucks to be in a situation like that, where you don’t know what you’re going to do. That helps me understand what I have to do to get ready. No excuses."
Velasquez is welcoming the opportunity to show what he can do when given a solidified role on a team.
"I’m really stoked," he said. "I think that’s what the plan of attack was this offseason: allowing myself to be in that driver’s seat and learn how to utilize all my stuff, give myself those options to be the starter that I can be. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do it in this organization. It’s up in the air, and I’m ready to grab it."
"He's a veteran guy that will build himself up through Spring Training," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, "so [tonight] is just one of the building blocks we'll go through."