After ending last year with Chicago hitting .205 (38-for-185) with seven doubles, six home runs and 26 RBI in 77 games, Nelson Velázquez was optioned to Iowa to start the 2023 campaign.
Rather than being upset that he didn’t make the big-league roster, the young outfielder took the time to play with his best friends and prove he belonged up with Chicago.
He said he obviously wants to be up with Chicago, but that he really enjoys playing here and being a part of the Iowa Cubs too. He has played with many of his current teammates since 2018 and has enjoyed growing up playing baseball with all of them.
“You have a lot of confidence with them, it feels like family when you are around them,” Velázquez said. “It just makes you feel good and comfortable playing the game.”
That comfort turned into a scorching hot start for the 24-year-old, hitting .364 (12-for-33) with two doubles, three home runs and at least one hit in each contest through his first eight games with the I-Cubs.
He was recalled to Chicago on April 10 and the next night, went 3-for-4 with a grand slam against the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field. About the home run, he said he was just rooting for Yan (Gomes) to get a hit so he could get up and hit.
Once Gomes got on, Velázquez said he knew it was his opportunity to start and do his best, so he went up to the plate with a lot of confidence. That confidence turned into a grand slam as part of a seven-run comeback win for the Cubs, sending the Wrigley crowd into a frenzy.
“I saw the crowd cheering and all the beer in the air, that was something else,” he said. “It was something I will never forget.”
Something else he won’t ever forget was being able to represent his native country of Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic before the season kicked off. He said being able to represent Puerto Rico was something every Puerto Rican player wishes and dreams to do.
Although it was a dream come true and an exciting experience for Velázquez, he said he really wanted to take the time to learn and become a better player too.
“Being around all of the major leaguers that know how to play the game and have played for a long time, I wanted to learn something from each player about how I can be better and improve myself,” he said.
He said besides just having fun and representing his country, talking to people who have played the game for a long time and learning from them was what he enjoyed most.
Velázquez said his favorite player growing up was Manny Ramirez on an off the field. The way he played the game is what made Nelson want to become a professional baseball player and how he was off the field inspired Velázquez to be a good person to everybody as well.