A dark chapter in recent MLB history came to at least a partial close this week, with the sentencing of former All-Star relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez after he was found guilty earlier this year of sex crimes involving a minor.
Vazquez, 30, was sentenced on Tuesday in Westmoreland, Pa., to two-to-four years in state prison, with at least two years of probation, according to multiple media reports. He was found guilty in May of sexually abusing a girl who was only 13 when they first met.
Having been incarcerated since his arrest in September 2019, Vazquez is eligible for parole as soon as next month owing to time served, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The native Venezuelan was accused of carrying on a long-term sexual relationship with the teen girl, involving at least one in-person sexual encounter, in his parked car in front of her house. Authorities said the abuse was exposed when the girl's mother discovered obscene text exchanges from Vazquez.
The left-handed former pitcher, who broke into the Major Leagues with the Washington Nationals before joining the Pirates in a trade deadline deal in July 2016, claimed during his trial that the girl had misled him about her real age, and had aggressively courted his attention on social media.
While Vazquez is soon eligible for parole, he still faces separate charges in Missouri and Florida. The victim resided in Florida at one point during the relationship, authorities say, and Vazquez allegedly contacted her from Missouri during a Pirates road game against the Cardinals in St. Louis.
In May, he was convicted at trial on 15 counts, including sexual abuse of children, unlawful contact with a minor, and statutory sexual assault, among others.
The girl, then 17, testified that she was in awe after the attention lavished on her by a professional athlete. The judge on Tuesday praised the victim for her courage in taking the stand.
Vazquez had established himself as one of the better lefty relievers in the game before his arrest, earning All-Star nods in 2018 and '19 with Pittsburgh. He previously went by the surname Rivero, before changing it to Vazquez in 2018.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram