Virgil Matthew Vasquez (born June 7, 1982) is currently a professional pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins and a former

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 completed a 12-year professional pitching career with 5 different

MLB 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), ...

organizations while appearing in parts of two

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), ...

seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates. In total, he has a 101-92 record in his 12 years as a professional pitcher. During 2021 he will serve as the pitching coach of the

Wichita Wind Surge The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Riverfront Stadium. The Wind Surge were supposed to b ...

Amateur career

Vasquez was born in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

. He went 23-3 in his final two years of high school with 179 strikeouts while also hitting over .400. Vasquez was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 7th round of the

2000 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

out of

Santa Barbara High School Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a sprawling campus in Santa Barbara, California in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Among the oldest high schools in California and one of five high schools in the Dis ...

, but chose to attend the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

, instead. He finished his college career with 189 strikeouts, the eighth most in school history. Vasquez was then selected by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft.

Detroit Tigers

Vasquez began the 2006 season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves of the Eastern League, where he finished in the top ten for

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, complete games,

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s allowed, innings pitched,

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is li ...

and losses. He was promoted to the 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 ...

in early September 2006. After starting the 2007 campaign in Toledo, he was called up by the Tigers to make a spot start in place of

Jeremy Bonderman Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Bonderman batted and threw right-handed. High school Bonderman attended Pasco High School in Pasco, Washington. In his last year of high school ...

on May 11. Facing the Minnesota Twins, he allowed six runs in 2.2 innings to take the loss. He jumped back and forth between Detroit and Toledo several times over the remainder of the season. In five games at the major league level, he went 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA.

Pittsburgh Pirates

After spending all of 2008 in Toledo, he was claimed off waivers by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. Two months later, he was claimed off waivers by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

, followed by a third waiver claim by the Pittsburgh Pirates two weeks after that. Erik Kratz and Virgil Vasquez on May 19, 2009

He began the 2009 season with the triple A Indianapolis Indians before earning a promotion to the Pirates major league roster on June 26, 2009. He won his first start against the Kansas City Royals, allowing two runs in six innings while striking out seven. In seven starts and fourteen appearances with the Pirates he amassed a 2-5 record, with a 5.84 ERA, gave up 58 hits, allowed 29 earned runs, gave up 6 home runs, hit 3 batters, walked 18 batters, struck out 29, in 44.2 innings pitched. He was traded to the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

on April 1, 2010. On April 23, he suffered two broken wrists in a vehicle accident, when the scooter he was driving was hit by a car.Wiseman, Steve.
Right back at it
, The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC), April 25, 2010. After which, he began a vigorous rehabilitation program, to not only return to his original capabilities, but to add to his repertoire a high speed cutter, movement and command to his fastball, and a curve to throw anytime in the count. He signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels 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 h ...

in January 2011 but was released in April before he pitched in the organization. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseb ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Australian Baseball League

Vasquez was called to the

Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it ...

(ABL) to help the

Perth Heat The Perth Heat is a baseball team in the current Australian Baseball League and a foundation member of the Australian Baseball League. It is now the most successful team in ABL, winning 15 Claxton Shields. Australian Baseball League (1989–19 ...

during the 2011-12 Championship season. Vasquez was named the ABL Championship Series MVP for his Game 1 performance. During which he threw a complete game, surrendering 5 hits, and 1 run. Collecting 8 strikeouts and 0 walks over 122 pitches, 92 of them strikes, and in the 9th pitching at 91 mph. "He showed great stamina, as well, maintaining his velocity throughout the contest.... Showing that he is not only healthy, but ready to excel once again."Ross Romano

, The Official Site of the Perth Heat. February 13, 2012. He returned to the Perth Heat the following ABL season where he was signed by the Minnesota Twins. The Melbourne Aces called upon Vasquez, both as a pitcher and pitching coach in the 2015-16 & the 2016-17 seasons and then fully into the pitching coach role for the 2017-18 season. During his time in the ABL he has coached alongside; Jon Deeble, Joe Vavra, Jim Bennett, Craig Albernaz, Phil Dale, & Peter Moylan. He has also been a part of 4 ABL All-Star Games.

Professional coaching career

Vasquez started his coaching career with the

GCL Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, t ...

from 2015-2017. In 2018, under the new

Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

leadership of Derek Falvey &

Thad Levine Thad Levine (born November 12, 1971) is an American baseball executive. He is the senior VP and general manager for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. Early life and education Levine was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He played youth ...

, a progressive use of analytics was adopted. Vasquez split the season, coaching half in Extended Spring Training and the other in AA with the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

as the assistant pitching coach under Ivan Arteaga. In 2019, Vasquez was the pitching coach for the

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels are owned ...

. With the Kernels, he created a positive environment of growth while using cutting edge technology that propelled his pitching staff to the playoffs while setting a franchise record in

strikeouts 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 ...

at 1,240 while the Twins minor league system, as a whole, led all MiLB in FIP at 3.37. 2021, Vasquez is co-pitching coach with Luis Ramirez for the

, the AA affiliate with the Twins. During his time as a professional coach he has worked alongside; Bob McClure,

LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorad ...

Tommy Watkins Thomas Gray "The Mayor" Watkins, Jr. (born June 18, 1980) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and current coach. He is the third base coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the T ...

, Josh Kalk, Jeremy Zoll, Alex Hassen, Tony Diaz, Pete Maki, Cibney Bello, Justin Willard,

Brian Dinkelman Brian Adam Dinkelman (born November 10, 1983) is an American retired professional baseball second baseman who is the manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels, the Class-A minor-league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Dinkelman was drafted by the Minn ...

, Ramon Borrego, Jared Gaynor, Billy Boyer, Tanner Swanson, Pete Fatse, Luis Ramirez, Ryan Smith, Zach Bove and Daniel Adler. He has also had 4 playoff berths as a coach.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasquez, Virgil 1982 births Living people Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from California Detroit Tigers players Durham Bulls players Erie SeaWolves players Gulf Coast Rays players Indianapolis Indians players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches New Britain Rock Cats players Oneonta Tigers players Perth Heat players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Rochester Red Wings players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Sportspeople from Santa Barbara, California Toledo Mud Hens players UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball players West Michigan Whitecaps players American expatriate baseball players in Australia