PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Nine years in the Major Leagues with now five different teams, Vince Velasquez has seen some things. What he’s seen with this Pirates team, he couldn’t wait to show.
Signed in offseason to a one-year, $3.15 million contract, the 30-year-old said from the first day of Spring Training he could feel an energy around the Pirates. Guys were going through drills and then playing in games with an intent and a purpose. He was anxious to put that on display when the games started to matter.
“I was excited about surprising a lot of people and what they thought of us,” Velasquez said of low expectations. “What we are showing glimpses of is what we are capable of, but I think we are barely tapping into a couple of things.”
He doesn’t think this quick start is a fluke and they can play better than what they’ve shown.
The right-hander led a win Thursday in a place there usually aren’t many Pirates wins, St. Louis. Velasquez went six scoreless innings allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six. Of course, he was signed to help the team compete this year, but he also embraces the role of mentor. He wants to help the young guys and he likes the mix of the vets like himself, Rich Hill, Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, Austin Hedges.
“I’ve been through a lot of different clubhouses and a couple of good ones,” Velasquez said. “It seems like the energy itself can be created from within. When it comes game time, we have our brothers. We are not going to give in until our last out.”
He believes that attitude becomes contagious, maybe better said infectious. He loves the energy and vibe with a team without a lot of known stars and their most electric player out until August. That doesn’t mean the Pirates don’t have talent and what is important to Vasquez is that they have a lot of heart. As he put it, they may be the little guys, but they fight.
When things aren’t perfect, there is enough support on this team to help each other out.
The pressure will get intense for the prospects, especially the high draft picks. All eyes on them and there are expectations to perform. They feel it and when things go south, they need the support. That’s where he’s there to help.
A former Astros, Phillies, Padres, White Sox and now Pirates pitcher, he reiterates there is even more to show. The comeback win against the Astros was a good example. He says expect more of that and more overall good baseball.
“We all knew what we were capable of,” Velasquez said. “We don’t have the biggest arms. We don’t have the biggest bats. We just work with what we got.”
Even losing a fifth starter and Oneil Cruz early in the year, what they’ve got is showing up pretty well.