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TOP YANKEES pitching prospect Randy Vasquez was called up to the big leagues in May 2023.
He’s expected to make his MLB debut on Friday, May 26, 2023, against the San Diego Padres.
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Who is New York Yankees pitcher Randy Vasquez?
Randy Vasquez is a 24-year-old right-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees who hails from the Dominican Republic.
He first joined the organization in 2018, at the age of 19, after signing a $10,000 contract and has since become one of the team’s top pitching prospects.
“Vasquez owns the nastiest curveball in the system, combining low-80s power with vertical and horizontal movement produced by spin rates that top 3,100 rpm,” his biography states.
He has often been seen playing in the minors, but in May 2023, he got the call up to the major leagues.
“Very surprised,” Vasquez said of the call through an interpreter, via the New York Post.
“You’re always waiting for that call. It’s a call [I’ve] been waiting [my] whole life for, ever since [I] was a kid.”
At this time, additional information on Vasquez’s personal life is unclear.
When did Randy Vasquez start pitching?
Before Vasquez signed with the Yankees, he was trying to make it big as a catcher.
However, his skills as a catcher and hitter were lacking, but with the help of Yankees scout Arturo Pena, he was able to find his true baseball calling.
“You’ve got no chance to catch and you’ve got no chance to hit, so let’s put you on the mound,” Pena told Vasquez during tryouts, via NJ.com.
Pena promised Vasquez a professional contract if he could throw a 92mph pitch at his next tryout, so he returned home and taught himself how to pitch with a homemade ball.
“I worked diligently in the offseason to get that combo just right,” Vasquez told NJ Advance Media through an interpreter.
“It’s a combination of the way I snap my wrist and my three-quarter delivery.”
When he returned to his next tryout, he was able to consistently throw 91-92 mph fastballs, which was enough for a $10,000 contract, and he “happily accepted.”
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“Vasquez had arm strength, but that was really his only tool as a catcher,” Yankees international scouting director Donny Rowland said, via NJ.com.
“When we profile a prospect and we don’t think he’s going to have a chance as a position player and he’s got above average arm strength, we will convert guys like that quite often.
“We don’t sign all of them, but we sign the ones that take to it like Vazquez did.”
Does Randy Vasquez have children?
While Vasquez might have a high-profile career, little information is available on his personal life.
He often posts pictures of a little girl on Instagram, but at this time, it is not known if that is his daughter.
