Nelson Velazquez
Position: OF
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 12/26/1998
High School: PJ Education School (Carolina, Puerto Rico)
Drafted: 5th Round, 165th Overall, 2017 (Cubs)
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agent
Bonus: $400,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Eligible
Minor League Free Agency: 2025
Options Left: 0
Overview
The Cubs drafted Velazquez as an outfielder with some power potential and some questions about his contact ability. He has a strong arm and at one point had good speed, but StatCast has seen his speed as around average since 2024. He’s played all three outfield positions and StatCast characterizes his range as below average. Velazquez mostly hasn’t hit for high averages and hasn’t drawn a lot of walks. His strikeout rate has tended to run between one every three to four plate appearances. Since he reached the upper minors he’s hit for fairly good power. The Cubs traded Velazquez to the Royals at the deadline in 2023 and he had a strong final two months, but he slumped in 2024 and Kansas City released him early in 2025. He ended up in the Mexican League, then the Pirates signed him to a minor league contract near the end of the season.
2017-20
Velazquez hit well in rookie ball in 2017 and the Cubs sent him to low A to open 2018. He had a very rough time there and Chicago moved him down to short season ball once it began play. He hit fairly well there, with a .782 OPS and 11 home runs in 72 games.
In 2019, Velazquez went back to low A, although he missed June and July with an injury. In the roughly half season he played there, he hit for a good average but not so much power, with a line of 286/338/424. He didn’t play during the pandemic season.
2021-22
In the two seasons after the pandemic, Velazquez made his way to the majors. He played the first two-thirds of 2021 in high A, then the last third in AA. He hit decently in high A, with a .776 OPS, but got hot in AA, batting 290/358/581 with eight home runs in just 34 games. That led the Cubs to add him to their 40-man roster after the season.
Velazquez opened 2022 back in AA, but moved up to AAA after putting up an OPS of 1.094 in 22 games. He just held his own there, batting 211/290/415 in 34 games. The Cubs called him up for a doubleheader at the end of May, then called him up for the rest of the year in mid-June. In the majors, he mostly struggled, hitting 205/286/373 in 77 games.
2023-25
In 2023, Velazquez was up and down between the majors and AAA, but most of his time in the minors up until the trade deadline. He hit fairly well in AAA, 253/333/469 with 16 home runs. He only got 32 plate appearances with the Cubs and had a .933 OPS. At the deadline, the Cubs traded him to Kansas City and he spent nearly all of the final two months in the majors. He hit for a lot of power with the Royals, batting 233/299/579 with 14 home runs in 147 plate appearances.
Velazquez had a lot more trouble in 2024. He opened the season with the Royals but hit just 200/274/366. The Royals sent him to AAA in late June and, over the rest of the season, his hitting was just fair, with a .770 OPS.
In 2025, the Royals sent Velazquez back to AAA and he continued to struggle, batting 202/298/377 in 33 games. The team released him at the end of May and he ended up in the Mexican League, where he hit 357/444/658 with 15 home runs in 49 games. The Pirates signed Velazquez to a minor league deal on September 1 and sent him to Indianapolis, where he got into 18 games. He hit very well, 284/329/554 with five home runs. He played exclusively in right.
Stats
Transactions
June 13, 2017: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 5th round, 165th overall pick; signed on July 7.
November 19, 2021: Contract purchased by the Chicago Cubs.
July 31, 2023: Traded by the Chicago to the Kansas City Royals for Jose Cuas.
March 23, 2025: Outrighted to AAA by the Kansas City Royals.
May 28, 2025: Released by the Kansas City Royals.
September 1, 2025: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.