Felipe Javier Vázquez ( Rivero, born July 5, 1991) is a Venezuelan convicted sex offender and former professional baseball pitcher.
He played for the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2008
Vázquez signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent on July 30, 2008.
2012
He represented the Rays at the 2012 All-Star Futures Game.
He was added to the Rays' 40-man roster on November 20, 2012.
2014
On February 13, 2014, Vázquez was traded to the Washington Nationals, along with José Lobatón and Drew Vettleson, in exchange for Nate Karns.
He suffered through elbow inflammation during the season, and was limited to 14 games started.
After the 2014 regular season, the Nationals assigned Vázquez to the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.
2015
The Nationals transitioned Vázquez into a relief pitcher during spring training in 2015.
Vázquez opened the 2015 season with the Syracuse Chiefs of the Class AAA International League.
On April 17, 2015, Vázquez made his major league debut by coming in to pitch the top of the ninth inning in a 7–2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
He pitched one inning, allowing two hits and one run while striking out two batters.
He went on the disabled list due to gastrointestinal bleeding on April 22.
On June 1, the Nationals called up Vázquez to the major leagues from Syracuse.
At the end of the season, Vázquez was able to reach 100 mph with his fastball in relief.
In 49 games for the Nationals, he pitched in 48 1⁄3 innings, posting a 2–1 record with a 2.79 ERA.
With Jonathan Papelbon suspended and Drew Storen injured, Vázquez converted two save opportunities during the final week of the season.
He finished the season with a 2.79 earned run average.
2016
During the 2016 season, Vázquez's ERA reached a peak at 6.82 following a game on June 18 where he allowed all six batters he faced to reach base.
In the next 13 appearances, he had a 0.93 ERA to lower his season ERA to 4.53.
On July 30, 2016, the Nationals traded Vázquez, along with Taylor Hearn, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mark Melancon.
For the Pirates, he finished with a 3.29 ERA in 28 games.
Vázquez throws a fastball which can reach over 100 mph. Vázquez's fastball averaged 96.4 mph in 2016 and around 98 mph in 2017.
As a prospect with the Rays, Vázquez initially threw only 86 mph. He also throws an effective changeup at 89 – with two-seam movement, which he picked up in the Rays minor league system.
2017
Vázquez began the 2017 season as a setup reliever.
After a 0.58 ERA in 31 games, on June 9 he was named co-closer for the Pirates along with Juan Nicasio, replacing Tony Watson.
Vázquez later assumed primary closing duties, with Nicasio becoming the eighth-inning setup man.
Vázquez was 5–3 with a 1.67 ERA, and earned 21 saves in 23 opportunities in 2017.
His fastest pitch of 2017 was 102.6 miles an hour, second-best in MLB only to pitches by Aroldis Chapman.
Of all MLB pitchers, he held left-handed batters to the lowest batting average, .082 (in 20 or more innings).
2018
He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 before his arrest on sexual assault charges led to his being placed on the restricted list by both the Pirates and Major League Baseball.
Before the 2018 season, Vázquez signed a four-year contract with the Pirates, with club options for another two years.
In 2018, Vázquez was selected to play in the 2018 All-Star Game, his first All-Star appearance.
For the season, he was 4–2 with 37 saves and a 2.70 ERA.
2019
In an April 7, 2019, game against the Cincinnati Reds, Vázquez was ejected after his role in a bench-clearing incident involving Chris Archer, Derek Dietrich, Yasiel Puig, Amir Garrett, Keone Kela, and David Bell.
Vázquez was selected for the 2019 All-Star Game, as a roster replacement for Zack Greinke.
On September 10, Vázquez and Kyle Crick got into a clubhouse fight; Crick broke his finger, requiring season-ending surgery.
On September 17, the Pirates placed Vázquez on the restricted list, due to his arrest on multiple charges of unlawful contact with a minor.
At the time, his record for the season was 5–1 with a 1.65 ERA and 28 saves.
He was also placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball.
