Can Vince Velasquez Go Deep Into Starts?
Vince Velasquez showed Philadelphia exactly what he could do in just his second appearance in a Phillies uniform when he struck out 16 Padres on his way to a complete-game, shutout win. It was easily his best start of the year and one of, if not, the best starts for all Phillies pitchers in 2016.
After his complete game early in the season, Velasquez went past six innings just twice in his next 22 starts. He left before the sixth inning in ten of his 24 starts. One of Velasquez’s biggest criticisms was that he racked up pitch counts very quickly, which was precisely the case in 2016.
Velasquez’s biggest focus during spring training and the 2017 season needs to be inducing more quick outs rather than trying to overpower and strike out every batter. If Velasquez cannot accomplish this task, he may be forced to move to the bullpen where his strikeout-heavy approach will have more success.