RAMON VAZQUEZ

8/21/76; '95 27th (Seattle); Indian Hills CC-Centerville
L/R; 5-11, 176

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
1995 R (Sea)
.206
.309
.241
141
3
1
0
19
27
4
3
1996 AAA (Sea)
.224
.296
.306
49
2
1
0
4
12
0
0
1996 A (Sea)
.300
.417
.400
10
1
0
0
2
2
0
0
1996 A- (Sea)
.278
.392
.373
126
5
2
1
26
26
7
2
1997 A (Sea)
.269
.373
.392
479
25
5
8
78
93
16
10
1998 A+ (Sea)
.276
.384
.361
468
26
4
2
81
66
15
11
1999 AA (Sea)
.258
.354
.368
438
27
3
5
62
77
8
1
2000 AA (Sea)
.286
.367
.427
405
25
4
8
52
76
1
6
2001 AL (Sea)
.229
.222
.229
35
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
2001 AAA (Sea)
.300
.397
.429
466
28
1
10
76
84
9
7
2002 NL (SD)
.274
.344
.362
423
21
5
2
45
79
7
2
2003 NL (SD)
.261
.342
.341
422
17
4
3
52
88
10
3
2003 A+ (SD)
.188
.350
.375
16
0
0
1
3
3
0
1
2004 NL (SD)
.235
.297
.322
115
3
2
1
11
24
1
1
2004 AAA (SD)
.299
.402
.554
184
21
1
8
33
28
2
0
2005 AL (Bos)
.197
.234
.230
61
2
0
0
3
14
0
0
2005 AL (Cleve)
.250
.308
.375
24
3
0
0
2
3
0
0
2005 AAA (Cleve)
.214
.275
.274
84
3
1
0
7
16
1
1
2006 AL (Cleve)
209
.267
.284
67
2
0
1
6
18
0
0
2006 AAA (Cleve)
.242
.377
.343
99
2
1
2
22
27
2
1
2007 AL (Tex)
.230
.300
.373
300
13
3
8
29
72
1
0
2007 AAA (Tex)
.258
.375
.409
132
10
2
2
24
27
3
1
2008 AL (Tex)
.290
.365
.430
300
18
3
6
38
66
0
1
2009 NL
.230
.335
.279
204
7
0
1
31
47
1
0

Vazquez has generally been a decent offensive player during his career, mainly because he's willing to take a walk. He's also shown a little power the last two years, some but not all of which was due to the ballpark in Texas. He's had only four major league seasons in which he got a lot of at-bats and had an above-average OBP in three of them. He didn't hit badly as San Diego's shortstop in 2002-03, but he evidently didn't get sufficiently entrenched to hold the job after he got off to a slow start the next year and then went out with an oblique strain. He was optioned out shortly after returning from the injury and spent the following two and a half years as a marginal utility player. I'm not sure whether he was hurt for parts of 2005-06, but it certainly looks like it.

In 2007 Vazquez got significant playing time for Texas at third when Hank Blalock got hurt and had a poor season, but he followed with a career year in 2008, again playing a lot at third due to Blalock's unavailability. Throughout his career Vazquez has struggled mightily against LHPs, posting only a .502 OPS against them. He's generally done OK against RHPs, with an OPS of .721.  After losing the shortstop job in San Diego, Vazquez divided his time among the three infield positions, except when he was playing regularly at third for the Rangers.  He even played a little at first.  UZR shows him to be bad at second, third and short throughout much of his career, although other defensive measures show him to be around average or maybe slightly below.  For the Pirates in 2009, he was steady and didn't commit errors, but he doesn't have much range.

The Pirates signed Vazquez just after the 2008 winter meetings to a two-year contract worth $4M.  He spent 2009 as the team's utility infielder.  Offensively he had a disappointing season, as his power disappeared completely.  He did draw a lot of walks, but that was the limit of his contribution at the plate.  He struck out a great deal for a guy with no power at all.  The Pirates blamed some of his trouble on a balky knee that hobbled him late in the season.  He did go just 8-for-44 in September and October, although he started three of the team's last four games at short, which makes you wonder just how hobbled he was.  With a guaranteed contract, he'll obviously be back in 2010.  It's not as if the Pirates have any young middle infielders he'd be blocking, as Brian Bixler and Luis Cruz have convincingly shown themselves not to be major league players.  The team had the right idea with Vazquez, as he figured to be an upgrade from Chris Gomez, who couldn't play short, and Luis Rivas, who didn't do anything well.  As long as Vazquez can play short at least quasi-passably, he should relieve the Pirates from the necessity of carrying a zero-offense infielder like Cruz to back up there.  He needs to do more, though, than draw walks.

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