Born08/10/1982 in Hato Mayor Del Ray, Dominican Republic
ProfileHt.: 6'1" / Wt.: 160 / Bats: S / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
Vasquez played a major role in West Michigan's Midwest League championship, winning his last 10 regular-season decisions and two more in the playoffs. He has a live, electric fastball that sits at 90-94 mph and tops out at 96. He throws with a bullwhip motion that can be tough for hitters to pick up. He's aggressive and wild in the strike zone. Though he was old for low Class A, Vasquez is still unpolished. His career got off to a late start because he was nearly 21 when he signed out of the Dominican Republic. His changeup and tight slider are in the early stages of their development, though he showed an increased ability to command them late in the season. The Tigers will continue to move him one level at a time, though he could see Double-A at some point in 2007.
Most top Dominican players who turn into stars sign as teenagers. Vasquez was nearly 21 when he signed in 2003, however, and he fell further behind when he spent most of his first two seasons in the Gulf Coast League. He won all seven of his decisions at short-season Oneonta last year, tying for second in the New York-Penn League in wins. Vasquez' calling card is a mid-90s fastball. He has excellent arm speed that provides his fastball velocity, and he maintains the same arm speed on his changeup. He has shown some feel for his changeup and flashed the ability to spin a breaking ball. His secondary stuff and his control have a lot of improvement to make, so the Tigers took a calculated gamble that they wouldn't have to protect him on their 40-man roster this offseason. After slipping through the major league Rule 5 draft, Vasquez could skip a level and jump to high Class A.
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