#92 – Jose Velazquez
Atlantic City (2001 – ’05)
First Baseman
Even after 5 seasons of consistent play, including 4 seasons averaging a #7 finish in the league in OBP, we cannot find a good picture from Jose Velazquez’s Atlantic League career! A lack of photographic evidence doesn’t take away from what we know about Jose’s time in the league, and what we know was enough to earn him the #92 spot in our Top 100.
Obviously we don’t have a lot of information on Jose Velazquez’s career, so we’ll keep this brief. From 2001 to 2005, Velazquez racked up 277 runs created, 11.3 WAR, and a 119 OPS+ in 459 games, on the back of a .308/.389/.457 slash with 50 home runs and far more walks (224) than strikeouts (172). During his middle 3 seasons, Jose was at his best, posting a 129 OPS+ and 6.8 WAR in 254 games. We wish we knew more about Velazquez’s time in the Atlantic League, as well as many other players whose historical contributions to the league and their teams have been watered down to just numbers. As time goes on, ALPB Roundup will continue investigating the careers and stories of players like Jose Velazquez to make sure their moments of Atlantic League glory don’t simply disappear into time.
Indy Ball Nation 