If Andrew Velazquez’s Cinderella story didn’t final lengthy, it’ll have lengthy legs. So stated the person himself Friday morning, one borough over from the place he grew up and, for a second, electrified probably the most demanding fan base in sports activities.
“The chance to play in New York, my hometown, was superb,” Velazquez, a local of The Bronx and graduate of Fordham Prep, informed The Put up as he attended the opening of the Wilson NYC Flagship retailer in SoHo. “A once-in-a-lifetime expertise. And the way in which the sport works, you by no means know. Simply loved my time right here, however actually good alternative in Anaheim.”
The Angels claimed Velazquez off waivers on Nov. 5, because the Yankees jettisoned the shortstop to clear roster area. This marks the 27-year-old’s fifth time switching employers, so he's used to it, and he shook off a query about whether or not this departure felt worse as a result of it was the Yankees.
“I attempt not to take a look at it that approach as a result of it was such an excellent expertise,” Velazquez stated. “I feel it was good selfishly for me, but additionally only for town. For those that I grew up with. Children which can be attempting to turn out to be no matter they’re attempting to turn out to be, out and in of baseball.”
Velazquez, whom the Yankees signed in January 2021 as a minor league free agent, performed in 28 regular-season video games with Aaron Boone’s bunch, placing collectively a .224/.235/.358 slash line with one homer, his first within the massive leagues.
Velazquez, whom the Yankees signed in January 2021 as a minor-league free agent, performed in 28 regular-season video games with Aaron Boone’s bunch, placing collectively a .224/.235/.358 slash line with one homer, his first within the massive leagues.
“I’ve been attempting to knock that out for 4 years,” stated a laughing Velazquez, who made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Rays.
His athleticism, as exemplified by a terrific defensive play that ended an August 18 victory over the Pink Sox at Yankee Stadium, endeared him to the loyalists, and he began the Yankees’ lone playoff sport, the American League wild-card loss to the Bosox, at shortstop.
Now, Velazquez will attempt to get going with the Angels, whose new bench coach, Ray Montgomery, was the Diamondbacks’ director of scouting when Arizona chosen him out of highschool within the seventh spherical of the 2012 draft. Angel Stadium, Velazquez stated, is “certainly one of my favourite stadiums, and it simply turned certainly one of them not too long ago once we went over there. I’d by no means been there earlier than. It’s unbelievable. Stunning stadium. The climate, I feel that’s a giant attraction on the market, too. I’ve been form of bouncing forwards and backwards between there and New York.”
He follows the ongoing labor talks intently sufficient, he stated, to know to not e-book any spring-training housing, given the uncertainty: “I simply hope that either side come to an settlement. The union is doing their job and so they’re going to do an excellent job like they've been. Hopefully before later (it’ll be resolved). We wish to play.”
As he engaged with the followers and spent intensive time with Wilson’s legendary “glove guru” Shigeaki Aso on Friday morning — the primary time that they had met, Velazquez stated, though he has been with the corporate his whole profession — the switch-hitter smiled when requested to replicate upon his temporary Yankees stint.
That homer on Aug. 21, together with his dad and mom within the Stadium stands, “was undoubtedly up there,” he acknowledged. But when requested to establish the spotlight of his time in pinstripes, Velazquez stated: “I feel simply placing the uniform on earlier than the sport, within the locker room. Taking the sphere. Little issues like that. Warming up and seeing folks I knew from my neighborhood screaming within the stands. That stuff, you possibly can’t purchase that stuff.”
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