Freddie Velázquez

Federico Antonio Velázquez Velásquez (December 6, 1937 – May 21, 2019) was a Dominican professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Pilots and Atlanta Braves (1973).

Career Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Velázquez was the first Dominican catcher to play in the major leagues.

Afterwards, Velázquez played only winterball in the Dominican League until he was signed by the Kansas City Athletics prior to the 1964 season. He stayed with the Athletics until 1968, playing mainly in A-ball, appearing in more than 100 games three times in those five years, but he batted fairly well and hit 43 home runs overall, including 16 homers in 1968. While at Seattle, the 31-year-old rookie formed part of a five-catcher tandem and was used sparingly.

Quotes According to R.I.P. Baseball website, Velázquez almost did not play baseball at all. He said in a 1973 profile that he could have been a doctor, but instead he decided that there was no money in it. In fact, Velázquez spent most of hit time in the majors waiting for something to happen.