Anthony Russell Vasquez (born September 19, 1986) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

Career

Vasquez attended Ronald Reagan High School in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC). He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the Texas A&M Aggies and the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

Seattle Mariners

The

selected Vasquez in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB draft. He made his professional debut with the rookie ball Pulaski Mariners. He spent the 2010 season playing for three Mariners affiliates, the Single-A Clinton LumberKings, the High-A

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight ...

, and the Double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, recording a cumulative 11–9 record and 2.46 ERA in 28 games for the clubs. He made his MLB debut on August 23, 2011. He recorded his first MLB

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

against the second batter he faced. On November 3, 2011, Vasquez was outrighted off of the 40-man roster after struggling to a 8.90 ERA in 29.1 innings for the Mariners. Vasquez spent the 2012 season in Triple-A with the Tacoma Rainiers, pitching to a 6.53 ERA and 6–5 record. He split the 2013 season between the Double-A Jackson Generals and Clinton, accumulating a 2–6 record and 4.08 ERA in 15 appearances. On March 27, 2014, Vasquez was released by the Mariners.

Baltimore Orioles

Vasquez signed a minor league deal with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

on April 8, 2014. He split the season between the Triple-A Norfolk Tides and the Double-A

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

, pitching to an 8–8 record and 4.95 ERA before electing free agency after the season on November 4, 2014.

Philadelphia Phillies

Vasquez signed a minor league deal with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

on February 3, 2015. He split the year between the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, recording a 9–8 record and 4.10 ERA. He elected free agency after the season and re-signed with the Phillies on January 12, 2016. In 2016 with Lehigh Valley and Reading, Vasquez pitched to a 12–4 record and 3.08 ERA. He elected free agency on November 7, 2016.

Detroit Tigers

On January 10, 2017, Vasquez signed a minor-league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Vasquez made 27 starts split between the Double–A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving ...

and Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, registering a cumulative 12–10 record and 3.83 ERA with 104 strikeouts in innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 23, 2018, Vasquez signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was released by the organization on August 2, 2018.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On August 7, 2018, Vasquez signed with the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey ( en, Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monterrey, Mexico. They compete in the Northern Division. The team also joined the Mexican Pacific League for the 2019–20 season f ...

of the Mexican League. On January 16, 2019, Vasquez signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. He was released on July 25, 2019. On July 30, 2019, Vasquez again signed with the

of the Mexican League. After the 2019 season, he played for

Tomateros de Culiacán The Tomateros de Culiacán ( en, Culiacán Tomato Growers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Culiacán, Sinaloa. The ''Tomateros'' have won thirteen league titles and two Caribbean World Series in and . The ...

of the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...

(LVMP). He has also played for Mexico in the

2020 Caribbean Series The 2020 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 62nd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian P ...

. Vasquez did not play any LMB games in 2020 due to cancellation of the LMB season during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In July 2020, Vasquez signed on to play for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players. History The league consisted of ...

(a makeshift four-team independent league created as a result of the

) for the 2020 season. He was subsequently named to the league's all-star team. After the 2020 season, Vasquez played for Tomateros of the LVMP. He has also played for Mexico in the

2021 Caribbean Series The 2021 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 63rd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian ...

Mariachis de Guadalajara

On May 20, 2021, Vasquez signed with the

Mariachis de Guadalajara The Mariachis de Guadalajara (English: Guadalajara Mariachis) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Their home ballpark is Estadio Panamericano, and has a capacity of 16,500 people. The Mariachis were e ...

of the Mexican League. He made 10 starts for Guadalajara in 2021, registering a 5–1 record and 4.39 ERA with 24 strikeouts across innings of work. Vasquez was released by the Mariachis on September 23, 2022. After retiring from baseball, he became a financial planner.

Scouting report

Vasquez throws a fastball around , a changeup at around , and a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

that sits around .

Personal life

Vasquez's father, Rudy, works as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

. In November 2012, Vasquez underwent surgery to repair a cerebral arteriovenous malformation after a

blood vessel The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away ...

in his brain ruptured. His relative, Chris Beene, is a major influence in his life.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez, Anthony 1986 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from San Antonio Bowie Baysox players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Clinton LumberKings players Erie SeaWolves players High Desert Mavericks players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball pitchers Mariachis de Guadalajara players Mexican League baseball pitchers Norfolk Tides players Pulaski Mariners players Reading Fightin Phils players Reno Aces players Seattle Mariners players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tacoma Rainiers players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players Tomateros de Culiacán players United States national baseball team players USC Trojans baseball players Venados de Mazatlán players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players 2015 WBSC Premier12 players Eastern Reyes del Tigre players