Freddie Velázquez

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Federico Antonio (Velásquez) Velázquez (born December 6, 1937 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent in 1958, and later drafted by the Seattle Pilots from the San Diego Padres in the 1968 rule V draft (December 2, 1968). He played for the Pilots (1969) and Atlanta Braves (1973).

Velázquez played in a total of 21 major league games, and was a starter in 8 of his 16 appearances as a catcher. Defensively, he handled 66 out of 67 chances successfully for a fielding percentage of .985. At the plate he was 10-for-39 (.256) with 5 runs batted in.

Career highlights include hitting a two-run double off of Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter (April 26, 1969) and going 2-for-3 against Hall of Famer Steve Carlton (July 22, 1973). In addition, he was immortalized in the book Ball Four (see below).

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"Gary (Bell) has come up with a good nickname for Freddie Velázquez. Freddie just sits there in the bullpen, warming up pitchers, and he never gets into a game and just looks sad. So Gary calls him Poor Devil." -- Jim Bouton in Ball Four (May 1, 1969)