2024 Stats
AVG
.200
HR
8
RBI
27
R
31
SB
2
2025 Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Velazquez smacked 14 home runs in just 40 games with the Royals in 2023 and began the 2024 campaign as their Opening Day designated hitter. He never really got going last season, though, save from a 13-game stretch toward the end of May when he clubbed six long balls. Velazquez was sent down to Triple-A Omaha less than a month after that stretch and remained there for the rest of the season. Strikeouts have always been a problem for the 26-year-old, but Velazquez made up for it in 2023 with oodles of hard contact. That wasn't the case in 2024, however, as he saw his hard-hit rate drop from 49.1 percent to 38.1 percent and barrel rate dip from a ridiculous 21.4 percent all the way down to 8.8 percent. Kansas City's outfield and DH rotation isn't a difficult one to crack, so Velazquez can't be totally dismissed as a deep-league power option. That said, Velazquez's strikeouts and poor defense leave him with a slim margin for error. Read Past Outlooks
Sent back to Triple-A
The Royals optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
ANALYSIS
Velazquez was hitting just .122/.240/.171 in June and had seen his playing time dry up, so the Royals have elected to send him down to the minors with the hope that he can get on track at the plate. Expect Freddy Fermin to continue seeing an uptick in playing time with Velazquez now at Omaha.
Velazquez was hitting just .122/.240/.171 in June and had seen his playing time dry up, so the Royals have elected to send him down to the minors with the hope that he can get on track at the plate. Expect Freddy Fermin to continue seeing an uptick in playing time with Velazquez now at Omaha.
Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
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#8
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3
11
21
3
4
#1
#2
#3
#4
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4
9
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
+3%
OPS vs LHP
2024
+21%
OPS vs LHP
| OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022vs Left | .734 | 206 | 9 | 23 | .211 | ||||
| Since 2022vs Right | .712 | 409 | 22 | 64 | .212 | ||||
| 2024vs Left | .726 | 70 | 1 | 7 | .250 | ||||
| 2024vs Right | .602 | 160 | 7 | 20 | .179 | ||||
| 2023vs Left | .708 | 54 | 4 | 7 | .184 | ||||
| 2023vs Right | .966 | 125 | 13 | 27 | .257 | ||||
| 2022vs Left | .756 | 82 | 4 | 9 | .197 | ||||
| 2022vs Right | .599 | 124 | 2 | 17 | .211 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
+27%
OPS at Home
2024
+14%
OPS at Home
| OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2022Home | .801 | 322 | 18 | 53 | .233 | ||||
| Since 2022Away | .630 | 293 | 13 | 34 | .189 | ||||
| 2024Home | .682 | 115 | 4 | 15 | .218 | ||||
| 2024Away | .598 | 115 | 4 | 12 | .183 | ||||
| 2023Home | 1.111 | 114 | 13 | 28 | .297 | ||||
| 2023Away | .512 | 65 | 4 | 6 | .131 | ||||
| 2022Home | .574 | 93 | 1 | 10 | .174 | ||||
| 2022Away | .731 | 113 | 5 | 16 | .232 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Nelson Velazquez compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.31BB Rate
8.3%K Rate
26.5%BABIP
.237ISO
.166AVG
.200OBP
.274SLG
.366OPS
.640wOBA
.284Exit Velocity
88.2 mphHard Hit Rate
31.3%Barrels/PA
5.7%Expected BA
.214Expected SLG
.396Sprint Speed
24.2 ft/secGround Ball %
37.4%Line Drive %
14.3%Fly Ball %
48.3%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Velazquez played in just 13 games for the Cubs in 2023 before being shipped to the Royals at the trade deadline, and he appeared in 40 games over the final two months of the year. The 25-year-old showed off his power with 17 home runs plus 35 runs and 34 RBI in just 179 plate appearances overall. He improved his strikeout rate three points from his first look in MLB during 2022, though it was still high at 28.5 percent, and he had a solid 8.0 percent walk rate. A 21.4 percent barrel rate trailed only Aaron Judge among players with at least 170 plate appearances, while a 32.1 HR/FB led the league in the same sample size. All of those figures are clearly unsustainable, but Velazquez's power potential is obvious with 23 homers in his first 130 MLB games. He should have plenty of at-bats for Kansas City in 2024, and he appears to be a safe bet for double-digit and possibly 20-plus homers, though the swing-and-miss in Velazquez's stroke still leaves plenty of risk despite the clear upside.
More Fantasy News
Back in lineup Sunday
Velazquez will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's series finale against the Rangers.
ANALYSIS
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Sitting again Saturday
Velazquez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Texas.
ANALYSIS
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Absent from lineup again
Velazquez is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Rangers.
ANALYSIS
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Not starting Sunday
Velazquez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
ANALYSIS
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Getting breather Friday
Velazquez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely ticketed for minors
Patrick Mooney of The Athletic believes Velazquez could begin 2023 in the minors in order to receive consistent playing time.
ANALYSIS
The 24-year-old made his MLB debut last year and had a .659 OPS and 31.6 percent strikeout rate in 77 games. Velazquez would likely serve as a No. 4 outfielder for the big-league club given the offseason additions of Cody Bellinger and Trey Mancini, and seeing regular playing time with Triple-A Iowa could be more beneficial for his development. Regardless, Velazquez shouldn't be expected to have much of a fantasy impact in 2023, at least while the group of current outfielders remains with the club and healthy.
The 24-year-old made his MLB debut last year and had a .659 OPS and 31.6 percent strikeout rate in 77 games. Velazquez would likely serve as a No. 4 outfielder for the big-league club given the offseason additions of Cody Bellinger and Trey Mancini, and seeing regular playing time with Triple-A Iowa could be more beneficial for his development. Regardless, Velazquez shouldn't be expected to have much of a fantasy impact in 2023, at least while the group of current outfielders remains with the club and healthy.