Ralphy Velazquez

Raffaele Javier Velazquez

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.
• High School Huntington Beach High School

• Born May 28, 2005 in San Pedro, CA USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Catcher Ralphy Velazquez was selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the 23rd pick of the 2023 amateur draft, out of Huntington Beach High School in California. At the time of the draft, he had a commitment to attend Arizona State University. It seems that the Guardians drafted in part for need, as they only had taken one catcher with a top pick in recent memory, Bo Naylor, in 2019, and he was now with the team, and there were no other high level prospects at the position within their system. However, remaining at catcher was far from a given, since at 6'3", he was on the bigger side for a backstop, and the strength of his hitting meant that he could easily transition to first base or a corner outfield position in order to speed up his development. In his last season in high school, he had batted over .400 and slugged over .700.

Further Reading

• Mandy Bell: "Guardians add prep catcher Velazquez to deep farm system: Cleveland also tabs RHP Clemmey, LHP Walters to round out Day 1 selections in MLB Draft", mlb.com, July 10, 2023. [1]

Related Sites

• Perfect Game profile