PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The keyword with Hector Velazquez is creativity, from how the Red Sox worked out a clever deal to acquire him to how he fits the roster.
The 28-year-old from the Mexican League doesn’t throw very hard, so his pitching is creative to begin with. The righty’s fastball is in the high-80s to low-90s, with a split-change, slider and cutter.
His first game of any sort in a Red Sox uniform was yesterday, a 7-3 road loss to the Rays in the Grapefruit League. Velazquez started and threw two innings. He fanned four and allowed one run on three hits and a walk.