Philadelphia Phillies Former Player Returns With Chicago Cubs After Historic Debut

On Friday, Marquee Sports Network’s Taylor McGregor reported that the Chicago Cubs had selected the contract of Vince Velasquez, who spent six years with the Phillies, including a breakout 2016 season.

“Velasquez will be making a return to the MLB mound for the first time since a short (yet effective) stint with Pittsburgh in 2023,” Drew Tweedie wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “More recently, he pitched with the KBO Lotte Giants to poor results, with an 8.23 ERA in 35 innings. While there’s an element of misfortune there (ERA predictor xFIP gauged him closer to a 5-ERA performance), it probably wasn’t the results Velasquez was hoping for on his foray into Korea.”

Velasquez began his career with the Houston Astros in 2015 before joining the Phillies. And in 116 career starts for the Phillies, he racked up 642 strikeouts with a 4.93 ERA. And many of the team’s fans will remember him for a historic start during his debut season.

“Ten years ago … Velasquez authored one of the most dominant pitching performances in the 144-year history of the Philadelphia Phillies,” Matt Gelb wrote for The Athletic earlier this season. “He was 23 years old, making his first start at Citizens Bank Park... And he struck out 16 batters while walking none in a three-hit shutout of the San Diego Padres.”

Velasquez’s start featured the third most strikeouts by any Phillies pitcher in history and he was just the third pitcher 23 or younger with a 16-strikeout, no-walk shutout in MLB history, joining Dwight Gooden and Kerry Wood.

Philadelphia Phillies’ Former Starter Making MLB Return Long After Historic Debut

However, his tenure with the Phillies slid downshill from there. He left the team for the San Diego Padres in 2021, then joined the Chicago White Sox before his last appearance in the big leagues with the Pirates.

Now he will return to a major-league mound with the Cubs, probably in a relief role as the team chases a National League pennant.

“Most likely, Velasquez’s role will be to soak up some innings as the long reliever in the bullpen when the score goes sideways,” Tweedie added. “It remains to be seen how effective he’ll be in his role, given his MLB layoff, but at the very least, he’s a once-proven MLB arm with ample experience.”