Greg Veloz

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked New York Mets #22 prospect in 2009
  An excellent athlete with good makeup, the switch-hitting Veloz doesn't lack confidence. He failed to make adjustments at the plate and rolled over a lot of balls, though he may have been over his head in Class A leagues as a teenager. One scout compared him to a minor league Jose Vidro. Veloz has strength and a line-drive swing but doesn't have significant power potential, and like Vidro in his heyday he does a decent but unspectacular job at second base. After initial struggles, the wiry, athletic Veloz came on at the end of the season. He only began playing second base after signing with the Mets. He had manned third base as a youngster in the Dominican, but his fringy arm strength profiles better for the right side of the diamond. Mets instructors are still teaching Veloz to use his backhand more instead of trying to get in front of everything, and suggest his 19 errors primarily were throwing miscues because he wasn't correctly positioning himself. While his speed is just average, Veloz did record 29 steals. He wore down and didn't impress scouts who saw him in Hawaii Winter Baseball, showing hard hands defensively and poor technique. Veloz is expected to begin 2009 in high Class A, where he played 21 games last season.
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  Ranked New York Mets #16 prospect in 2008
  The Mets had high expectations for Veloz entering 2007, as he was the team's MVP at in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League the year before. He moved with DSL double-play partner Juan Lagares to low Class A to start the season, but neither was ready for the challenge. Veloz is the physically stronger of the pair and rebounded in the second half after moving down to the Rookie-level Appalachian League, which he led with nine triples. Veloz ranked fourth in the Appy League with 18 steals in 25 tries, yet speed isn't his calling card. At 4.2 seconds to first base from the right side, he's an average runner, though he's a tick better underway. Veloz has power from both sides of the plate that excites scouts even though he's quite raw. The ball jumps off his bat, and he could hit 25 homers annually if he learns to temper his aggressiveness and swing at strikes. Defensively, Veloz has average arm strength and could move over to third base. He's a second baseman for now with solid range, and he projects to be above average there if he can improve his footwork. He'll take another shot at low Class A this year.