Diego Velasquez Stats & Scouting Report

AB	147
AVG	.313
OBP	.389
SLG	.374
HR	1

Full name Diego Jesus Velasquez
Born 10/01/2003 in Maracay, Venezuela
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 150 / Bats: S / Throws: R

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: Velasquez was the Giants’ top international signee in the period that opened on Jan. 15, 2021. He was lauded for his defensive skills and contact-oriented approach, and spent the bulk of his first two seasons in the complex leagues. He reached Low-A toward the end of 2022 and then spent all of 2023 at the level, where he led the league with 127 hits and 32 doubles.

Scouting Report: None of Velasquez’s tools jumps off the page, but the whole package could give him a ceiling of a versatile big leaguer who plays every day. His offensive game is geared for contact over impact, although his righthanded swing tends to go in and out of the zone fairly quickly. Scouts believe he has a chance to get to average raw power as he matures. He’s a solid defender who will likely wind up at second base, where he has the chance to be plus, but could survive at either shortstop or third base in a pinch thanks to quickness and impressive instincts, above-average speed and an average throwing arm. His range isn’t quite enough to stick at shortstop full time, however.

The Future: After an excellent year at Low-A, Velasquez will move to High-A Eugene in 2024.

Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Field: 60 | Arm: 50
Track Record: The Giants have done well in Latin America in recent years, signing talents like Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Aeverson Arteaga. Velasquez could be the next in line. He signed with the Giants on Jan. 15 and played in the Arizona Complex League as a 17-year-old.

Scouting Report: As an amateur, Velasquez was lauded for his athleticism, quick feet and soft hands. All those attributes, evaluators believed, would help him stick at shortstop in the long-term. He has gotten bigger and stronger since signing, though he still needs to add plenty more strength to his frame in order to put a bit more oomph behind his contact. His average exit velocity was just 81.3 mph in the ACL, which is low but to be expected for a player with Velasquez’s combination of youth and frame. He’s a contact-type of hitter who struck out in just 13.8% of plate appearances in the ACL.

The Future: Velasquez’s development could be a slower burn. It’s entirely possible he starts 2022 in extended spring training before moving to Low-A later in the year. He has the upside of an everyday shortstop who hits toward the bottom of an order, but his future will depend on how his body develops.
TRACK RECORD: Velasquez, who signed with the Giants for $900,000 once the delayed international period opened on Jan. 15, 2021, grew quite a bit during the scouting process. When it began, he was 5-foot-10. On signing day, he’d jumped to 6-foot-1 and weighed in at 162 pounds.

SCOUTING REPORT: Even with the growth, Velasquez still projects to stay at shortstop. He’s wiry and athletic with soft hands and plenty of arm strength for either position on the left side of the infield. The switch-hitting infielder shows a contact-oriented swing and a line-drive approach from both sides of the plate, but has begun to drive the ball better as he’s gained size and strength. He’s an above-average runner. Velasquez trained with both his father and Ronny Cedeno in Venezuela.

THE FUTURE: Velasquez gives the Giants another young, talented Venezuelan shortstop at the lowest levels of their system, joining Aeverson Arteaga and Anthony Rodriguez, who both signed in the 2019 class but had their chance at an official pro debut wiped out by the pandemic.

Scouting Reports

BA Grade: 45/Extreme

Track Record: The Giants have done well in Latin America in recent years, signing talents like Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Aeverson Arteaga. Velasquez could be the next in line. He signed with the Giants on Jan. 15 and played in the Arizona Complex League as a 17-year-old.

Scouting Report: As an amateur, Velasquez was lauded for his athleticism, quick feet and soft hands. All those attributes, evaluators believed, would help him stick at shortstop in the long-term. He has gotten bigger and stronger since signing, though he still needs to add plenty more strength to his frame in order to put a bit more oomph behind his contact. His average exit velocity was just 81.3 mph in the ACL, which is low but to be expected for a player with Velasquez&#39s combination of youth and frame. He&#39s a contact-type of hitter who struck out in just 13.8% of plate appearances in the ACL.

The Future: Velasquez&#39s development could be a slower burn. It&#39s entirely possible he starts 2022 in extended spring training before moving to Low-A later in the year. He has the upside of an everyday shortstop who hits toward the bottom of an order, but his future will depend on how his body develops.
Track Record: The Giants have done well in Latin America in recent years, signing talents like Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Aeverson Arteaga. Velasquez could be the next in line. He signed with the Giants on Jan. 15 and played in the Arizona Complex League as a 17-year-old.

Scouting Report: As an amateur, Velasquez was lauded for his athleticism, quick feet and soft hands. All those attributes, evaluators believed, would help him stick at shortstop in the long-term. He has gotten bigger and stronger since signing, though he still needs to add plenty more strength to his frame in order to put a bit more oomph behind his contact. His average exit velocity was just 81.3 mph in the ACL, which is low but to be expected for a player with Velasquez’s combination of youth and frame. He’s a contact-type of hitter who struck out in just 13.8% of plate appearances in the ACL.

The Future: Velasquez’s development could be a slower burn. It’s entirely possible he starts 2022 in extended spring training before moving to Low-A later in the year. He has the upside of an everyday shortstop who hits toward the bottom of an order, but his future will depend on how his body develops.
Few teams are as well-stocked with Latin American talent in the lower levels as the Giants. After making Aeverson Arteaga their top international signing in 2019, the Giants look like they will do the same this year with Velasquez, another Venezuelan shortstop. Early in the scouting process, Velasquez was an extremely slender 5-foot-10, but he has grown taller, stronger and faster. He's a wiry, athletic shortstop who projects to stay at the position, with a tick above-average speed and soft hands, along with a contact-oriented bat geared for line drives from both sides of the plate.
TRACK RECORD: Velasquez, who signed with the Giants for $900,000 once the delayed international period opened on Jan. 15, 2021, grew quite a bit during the scouting process. When it began, he was 5-foot-10. On signing day, he’d jumped to 6-foot-1 and weighed in at 162 pounds.

SCOUTING REPORT: Even with the growth, Velasquez still projects to stay at shortstop. He’s wiry and athletic with soft hands and plenty of arm strength for either position on the left side of the infield. The switch-hitting infielder shows a contact-oriented swing and a line-drive approach from both sides of the plate, but has begun to drive the ball better as he’s gained size and strength. He’s an above-average runner. Velasquez trained with both his father and Ronny Cedeno in Venezuela.

THE FUTURE: Velasquez gives the Giants another young, talented Venezuelan shortstop at the lowest levels of their system, joining Aeverson Arteaga and Anthony Rodriguez, who both signed in the 2019 class but had their chance at an official pro debut wiped out by the pandemic.