Prospect Profile: Randy Vasquez



6-foot-0

165-pounds

Right-handed starting pitcher

24-years-old


Signed May 21, 2018 out of the Dominican Republic

For the first time in a long time, the entire Triple-A rotation for the RailRiders will be composed of prospects instead of reclamation projects. Randy Vasquez is one of the five starting pitchers who are now one step away from the major leagues. He is also on the 40-man roster which means he has a leg up on some of the competition to get the call at some point this season.

Vasquez has slowly increased his innings total year by year, culminating in a 115.1 inning performance in 2022 in Double-A. He had a 3.9 ERA and 120 K : 41 BB on the season. It was a solid performance all around, though a slight decline from the year prior. The Yankees can give Randy just about as many innings as he can handle this season in the minor leagues. If a need arises in the majors, he could be one of the first to make it to the show.

Stuff-wise, Vasquez has five useable pitches. None grade out as plus except the curveball. His four-seam fastball sits 93-95 mph and has hit 98 mph before. The two-seam fastball sits in the low-90’s, and the curveball sits 78-82 with a spin rate of 3,100 rpm. His slider and changeup still need some work, which could be a focal point in his development this season.

Randy Vasquez has all the makings of a back of the rotation starter. With a couple of improvements, that ceiling could increase. As things stand now, he has a high floor but does not have the highest upside. If his stuff ticks up in relief, there’s also the backup plan of a late-inning relief role. 

Vasquez has had a rough start to the season but there’s reason for optimism after his most recent start. 

Whatever the role, one thing is for sure; if Randy Vasquez stays healthy he will make it to the major leagues in some capacity. Whatever happens from there is up to him.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breakout Alert: Jared Serna prospect profile

Image
5-foot-8 168-pounds Second baseman Right-handed batter 20-years-old  Signed: July 2nd, 2019 out of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico The Yankees have made a habit recently of not letting height get in the way of signing guys with talent. Keiner Delgado, Abrahan Ramirez, and Jared Serna are all players are the shorter side and the Yankees are giving them every opportunity. Jared Serna has so far demonstrated that his height bears no importance on the quality of his game and the numbers he can put up. In 2021, Serna’s first season, his numbers were good but not great in the DSL. He hit .238/.404/.384/.788 with three homers, nine doubles, and two triples with 24 SB. Not the best numbers, but when combined with his mature approach, patience, hit tool, and defensive capabilities at second base it was enough to get him a promotion to the FCL in 2022.  That’s when he really took off. He hit .302/.438/.527/.965 with six homeruns, nine doubles and a triple in 37 FCL games. He also stole 16 bases, earning
Read more

Prospect Profile: Strikeout artist Danny Watson

Image
  6-foot-7 235-pounds Right-handed relief pitcher 22-years-old Draft: 15 th round of the 2021 draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University In addition to Jack Neely and Bailey Dees, the Yankees drafted a third huge pitcher in 2021. Watson is still young, and spent the whole season in Low-A last year. He had respectable numbers, finishing with 66 K : 36 BB and a 4.01 ERA in 58.1 innings. This was pretty similar to the season he had in 2021 for Virginia Commonwealth. Similar to Neely and Dees, Watson carries with him a substantial ceiling for a player drafted in the 15 th round. At the time he was drafted, Watson was already hitting 96 mph regularly on the radar gun and had a nice slider to complement it. The Yankees have worked with him to improve his control power, velocity, and secondary pitches. Watson began the year at High-A, where he has excelled. He has a 2.45 ERA and 28 K : 8 BB in 14.2 innings. That's an incredible strikeout rate, and unsurprisingly batters
Read more

Prospect Profile: Shutdown reliever Jack Neely

Image
6-foot-8 225-pounds Right-handed relief pitcher 22-years-old Draft: 11 th round of the 2021 draft out of Ohio State University In 2021, the Yankees drafted several big pitchers later in the draft. In doing so, they infused the lower minors with some high ceiling talent. One of these players was Jack Neely. In 2021, Neely was coming off a bad year for Ohio State. He had a 6.1 ERA and struggled with walks (5.2 BB/9) and homeruns (2.0/9). Despite that, the Yankees saw something in him. They drafted him in the 11 th round. 2022 was a different year for Neely. He was a dominant reliever in Low-A and briefly in High-A. The walks improved, he developed a slider and improved his strikeout rate. He finished with a 3.58 ERA and 87 K : 26 BB in 50.1 innings. Neely is equipped with a fastball that averages 97 mph and hits 98-99 regularly. If that wasn’t enough, the fastball also features a high spin rate. He added a slider in 2022 that catapulted him to bigger success. Neely stil
Read more