2020-07-23 19:00:00 (link to chat) | Thoughts on arrietta and Vince Velasquez .arrietta post surgery and Velasquez with new pitches (Quincy from Ames) | Count me among the many who have been waiting for an eternity for Velasquez to live up to his potential. I think I've rostered him on a fantasy team at some point every year for the past...four(?) seasons. (checks notes: Wow, that 16-strikeout game was in 2016). With reports of him adding a cutter over the offseason and him looking solid in Summer Camp, there's plenty of reason for optimism...again. But I'm going to be cautious until I see him put it together for more than a couple of starts in a row. He made 23 starts last year and didn't get out of the fifth inning in 10 of them. That's not great! As for Arrieta, count me out. He's dealt with shoulder stiffness during the build-up to the season, and while he can maybe be effective enough to be a back-of-the-rotation innings eater, I don't even know if he'll be consistently healthy enough to provide that. (Collin Whitchurch) |
2016-05-12 13:00:00 (link to chat) | Which group of players will the Astros regret trading more? Dealing away Vincent Velasquez and Mark Appel or Brett Phillips, Domingo Santana, and Josh Hader? (Okie from Muskogee) | The latter, which is weird to say, because I've been pretty slow to come on the Hader train. I have loved most of what Houston has done, but I think they're really going to come to regret that deal. (Christopher Crawford) |
2016-04-14 20:00:00 (link to chat) | Hey Scooter, what should we think about Vincent Velasquez after these 2 starts to the season? (Jerry from Earth) | He's a great gamble, although there isn't much profit available with him because he's not exactly a secret and he hasn't been for a while. The stuff is obviously legit. His ultimate value this season will depend on his command & control and whether or not he can sustain his stuff over the course of a long season. And wins might be hard to come by in Philly, of course.
I live in Philly and most of the leagues I play in are Philly-based, so if anything, Velasquez went for a higher price or at a higher pick than he should have because everyone here watched him during spring training and fell in love with his upside. (Scooter Hotz) |
2015-07-28 18:00:00 (link to chat) | Could you rank these guys for future careers? Steven Matz, Carlos Rodon, Eduardo Rodriguez, Aaron Nola, Chi Chi Gonzalez, Vincent Velasquez.
Any of these guys worry you and/or are they all in the same tier? (ColeWhittier from Pasadena) | This is a tremendous and fun group of arms. Nola, Gonzalez, Rodon, Velasquez, E-Rod, Matz. The one who still scares me the most is Rodon. There's a good chance he doesn't fulfill his insane upside because of the command issues stemming from his delivery. While Matz and E-Rod are a tier below for me they are both very valuable arms that could be middle rotation stalwarts. (Mauricio Rubio) |
2015-07-02 15:00:00 (link to chat) | Hi Doug, could you rate these 5 Ps for future? Any stand out above the others?
Joe Ross, Vincent Velasquez, Raisel Iglesias, Matt Wisler, Michael Lorenzen.
Thanks! (ColeWhittier from Pasadena) | Ross is an intriguing pitcher but his pitch selection is mirroring his brother's approach, including a high rate of SL's that simultaneously raises the injury risk and put the onus on his ability to bury the pitch. I really like Velasquez's delivery and the velo is legit. Iglesias is incredibly advanced for his age. Lorenzen has great stuff but was perhaps promoted before the command was honed, whereas Wisler holds the opposite profile of low ceiling but high floor. Long-term, give me Velasquez-Lorenzen-Wisler-Iglesias-Ross, but in the near-term I would go with Velasquez-Wisler-Ross-Iglesias-Lorenzen. Velasquez is above the others, and development will determine how the rest fall into place. (Doug Thorburn) |
2014-11-20 13:00:00 (link to chat) | Vincent Velasquez what the ceiling on him and when can we expect to see him in the majors? (OB1KENOBI from Tampa) | I can't go higher than a mid rotation ceiling given that the command is not likely to reach plus levels, but I think there's a decent chance he'll throw enough quality strikes to remain a starter. The stuff is quite loud and will allow him to succeed in some sort of a role if he stays healthy, even if it's not in the rotation. I think 2016 is probably the earliest we can expect to see him in the big leagues, but 2017 is more likely. More importantly for now; he looked healthy in the AFL after missing time in the middle of the season. (Todd Gold) |
2014-01-27 13:00:00 (link to chat) | I'm a bit surprised not to see both Vincent Velasquez and Lance McCullers off this list? Both had pretty good years and are expected to get better. Domingo Santana also should have a case as well.
What made you not have them on the list? (YP from Houston) | Other players offered a more convincing case. (Jason Parks on the Top 101 Prospects) |
2014-01-29 19:00:00 (link to chat) | Could you rank these pitchers in term of future fantasy value: C.J. Edwards, Miguel Almonte, Vincent Velasquez, Sean Manaea, and Alexander Reyes
Thanks! (Adam from Toronto ) | Manaea, Almonte, Edwards, Reyes, Velasquez. (Ben Carsley) |
2014-01-10 13:00:00 (link to chat) | I hear mixed opinions on Vincent Velasquez. Is he a 2 starter or more of a back end guy for you? (Matt473 from Austin) | I never got a#2 vibe from him when I saw him pitch in the NYPL, and the reports I've received from scouts that saw him in the MWL all considered him more of a #3/4 type. (Mark Anderson) |
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