Javier Vaz

Javier Rafael Vaz

• Bats' Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 6", Weight 151-165 lb.

• School Louisiana State University, Eunice, Vanderbilt University
• High School Huntsville (AL) High School

• Born September 22, 2000 in Huntsville, AL USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Javier Vaz has played in the minors and for the Puerto Rican national team. He is the son of Roberto Vaz.

He played for LSU Eunice when his father coached there, hitting .364/.509/.515 as a freshman and .365 as a sophomore. He slipped to .238/.396/.286 there but started a comeback rally against Stanford University in the 2021 College World Series; the team wound up second in the nation. As a senior, he improved to .280/.402/.490 with 29 walks to 17 whiffs. He was picked in the 15th round of the 2021 amateur draft by the Kansas City Royals and signed for a $125,000 bonus. The scout was Will Howard.

Making his pro debut that summer, he hit .260/.388/.370 in 27 games for the Columbia Fireflies and was 2-for-8 with a walk for the ACL Royals; he played outfield primarily. He split 2023 between the Quad Cities River Bandits (.270/.367/.390 in 86 G) and Northwest Arkansas Naturals (.304/.391/.429 in 33 G); in a utility role, he had 30 steals in 33 tries, 64 walks and 66 runs in 119 games. He was 7th in the Royals chain in runs, 3rd in triples (6), 7th in steals and 6th in walks. He tied for 9th in the Midwest League with 26 swipes there. Back with the Naturals for all of 2024, he hit .263/.376/.379 with 80 runs, 73 walks and 16 stolen bases while being caught three times. He also fielded .997 at second base. Among Royals farmhands, only John Rave and Drew Waters scored more times and only Blake Mitchell coaxes more free passes. He was one shy of Texas League run leader Nathan Church and one walk behind TL leader Harry Ford. Cooper Bowman beat him out as the TL All-Star second baseman.

In the 2024 Premier 12, he played for Puerto Rico. In their opener versus Team USA, he batted second and played second. Facing Rich Hill in the first, he hit into a double play, part of a 0-for-4 day. His first hit was a double off Wilmer Ríos of Mexico.