Pittsburgh Pirates: Dialogue on Vince Velasquez has Changed

I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez. As I always do, I shared some optimism with him being a former top-100 prospect and a veteran. He also looked like a decent reliever last year so that was a thought as well.

However, when the Pittsburgh Pirates held their introductory press conference, they made it clear that Velasquez would have a chance to make the rotation. I, like many fans, was not too thrilled with the announcement. The reason of course is that Velasquez had never even pitchered to a sub-4 ERA in his 8-year career.

Well, sometimes it is a good thing to be wrong about things. Velasquez and the Pittsburgh Pirates have proven not only the signing to be a good move but also giving him a spot in the rotation has worked out as well. Velasquez looks to have figured something out with the Pirates and their staff.

On the year Velasquez has been nothing short of strong. Things started off as many of us expected. The right-handed starter was tagged for 8 earned runs across his first two starts. He was only able to throw a total of 7.1 innings between those two starts.