Phillies: Five players likely to be traded this offseason

Vince Velasquez

No pitcher in recent Phillies history has gotten more chances than Vince Velasquez. The “stuff” is all there, but like every other player on this list, the consistency is not.

Velasquez came to Philadelphia as part of the much-maligned Ken Giles trade where the Phillies netted Velasquez, former top pick and now retired pitcher Mark Appel, Harold Arauz, Tom Eshelman, and veteran salary dump Brett Oberholtzer.

The hard-throwing righty came out firing for the Phillies, throwing six shutout innings in his 2016 debut and striking out 16 Padres in a complete game shutout the following week.

It was just the beginning of (wait for it) inconsistency from Velasquez that has plagued him throughout his career. One week we were highlighting Velasquez’s career year to the next week when he’d fall apart in multiple starts. The evolution of Velasquez has been mindboggling despite multiple pitching coaches getting their hands on him.

For the most part, fans know exactly how a Velasquez start is going to go; he’ll throw 30 pitches with two strikeouts in the first inning, strikeout five more in the next three innings while throwing 60 pitches and allowing four runs, and be pulled in the fifth inning with 90 pitches.

Despite the left-handed throws after taking a line drive to the arm to an outfield assist that shook the baseball world, Velasquez hasn’t turned his athleticism into consistent performances on the mound. Will Bryan Price be the last Phillies pitching coach to try to mold Velasquez into a starter or closer, or will the Phillies pawn him off on someone else?

Look for one of those developing teams to perhaps take a shot at the 27-year-old righty.