Vince Velasquez

Vince Velasquez and Phillies avoid arbitration

According to Jim Salisbury, the Phillies and Vince Velasquez agreed to a $4 million deal for 2021 and avoided arbitration. Velasquez projects as the 4th starter for the Phillies.

Fantasy Impact

Velasquez is coming off an awful 2020 season where he finished with a 5.56 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 29.9% strikeout rate, and 11% walk rate in 34 innings. Although the strikeout rate reached a career-high, his walk rate also jumped to a career-high. He's typically a fastball-heavy pitcher that threw his 4-seamer 52.8% of the time, down from 62.5% in 2019. Velasquez made another pitch mix change in that he increased the curveball usage and significantly increased his changeup usage. It's something worth monitoring as a late-round flier or streaming pitcher during the 2021 season.