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PERSONAL:
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- Javier spent his days as a kid in Ponce, Puerto Rico on a pitcher's mound. At night he studied Greg Maddux on TBS. Vazquez lived and breathed baseball.
His favorite player was Robbie Alomar.
"I was an infielder growing up, so Alomar was a great role model and a great player," Vazquez said.
- Vazquez said, "My father was raised in the military. My grandfather—I never met him because he died before I was born—was in the military. He was a World War II veteran and spent a lot of time in North Carolina, Georgia, and Germany. My dad grew up that way, so he was a strict father, but very loving. My father served in the National Guard. He lived at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina."
After leaving the military, Carlos Vazquez worked in the oil industry and as a manager at Seahorse, supplying diesel fuel and other marine suppllies to the big ships coming into port at Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Javier learned life lessons, teamwork, hard work and perseverance through baseball. His father taught him the fundamentals during his childhood in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he still lives in the off-season with his family, wife Kamille, daughters Kamila and Karinana, and son, Javier Josue.
- When the Expos signed him, Vazquez was a skinny teenager with not much velocity. But they saw something in his mound presence.
- In 1996, Javier was second in the South Atlantic League in wins, third in strikeouts, and ninth in ERA.
- In 1997, Vazquez led the entire minor leagues with his combined ERA of 1.86 for the two teams he played for -- West Palm Beach (FSL), where he was second-best, and Harrisburg (EL), where he'd have led the league easily if he'd had enough innings.
He was named the Expos Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 1997.
- Javier is a battler, despite his quiet exterior. He doesn't get rattled easily, and he shows little emotion.
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Javier married Kamille Rodriguez on November 14, 1998. On August 19, 2003, they welcomed the addition of a daughter, Kamila.
"I met Kamille when I was 15, and she was 13 years old. I played with her brother in the 15-18-year-old league, and we went to different high schools. We've been married since November 1998," Vazquez said.
They have three children: daughters Kamila and Kariana, and one son, Javier.
- Javier and Kamille have a King Charles spaniel named Kasey.
- When he was in Montreal, Javier was the Player Association representative for the Expos.
- Javier likes to play table tennis and golf.
- Javier eats a peanut butter (creamy, not crunchy) and jelly sandwich before every start.
"It's really just something to have before I pitch," Vazquez explained.
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Vazquez was a part of Yankees history long before he showed up in pinstripes in 2004. In 1999, he was the losing pitcher when David Cone pitched his perfect game against the Expos.
"I was on the wrong end of that game," Vazquez said. "I think it was as much fun as I've had in losing a game in my career. Cone controlled the whole game and the atmosphere was great. Don Larsen and Yogi Berra were there and it was a nice thing to watch."
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On April 9, 2003, when Vazquez struck out 14 Cubs, they were the most K's by an Expos pitcher since Canada Day 1997 at SkyDome. Remember Jeff Juden?
The Expos record is 18, set by Bill Gullickson in 1980 against these same Cubs, followed by Floyd Youmans and Mike Wegener, who both struck out 15. Wegener did it in the inaugural season of 1969; Youmans in 1986.
NO DEAL
- December 2004: Javier is credited with throwing a wrench into the multi-player three-way trade between the Yankees (key players being Vazquez to the Dodgers, who'd send Shawn Green to the Diamondbacks, who'd send Randy Johnson to the Yankees).
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt characterized their backing out as some favor to Vazquez, an inventive way to paint McCourt as caring, not unethical, and Vazquez as family-oriented, not whiny. Vazquez's agent, Seth Levinson, spins his refusal as a family issue, but if it's all about family, he should take a pay cut to play for Florida or Tampa Bay, far closer to his native Puerto Rico.
If dealt to Los Angeles, Vazquez, through Levinson, threatened to demand a trade after the 2005 season (as would have been his right, given that he would have been a veteran traded during a multiyear contract). There is no emptier threat in baseball. If he indeed made that trade demand and it was not honored, Vazquez would become a free agent on March 15, 2006; he thereby would give up a guaranteed two years and $24 million. There would have been zero chance of that happening.
(Jon Heyman and Ken Davidoff-Newsday-12/23/04)
- In the spring of 2006, Javier's (then) 4-year-old daughter, Kamila, was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes. With the help of a mini-pump that injects insulin, Kamila and other affected children don't need injections during every meal.
Now, Javier and his wife, Kamille, are involved in fund-raisers and programs to make people aware of juvenile diabetes.
- Vazquez used to work with deaf children in his native Puerto Rico, via the Javier Vazquez Foundation, "K's for Kids."
"My grandmother, who died (in 2007), was deaf. It was something my mother was always involved in, working with deaf children and adults. (In 2009) We are also working with diabetes, because my daughter, Kamila, is a Type-1 diabetic. We had an event to raise funds for a Pediatric Diabetes Center in Puerto Rico and a 'K's for Kids' gala event (in 2008) in Chicago for Children's Memorial Hospital," Javier said.
- May 9-12, 2011: Vazquez was on the bereavement list after a member of his wife's family died. He went back home to Puerto Rico to support the family.
TRANSACTION REPORT
- June 1994: The Expos chose Javier in the 5th round, out of Puerto Rico.
- February 2001: Vazquez lost his arbitration case to the Expos. He had requested $2.85 million.
- February 2003: Vazquez again lost his salary arbitration. A panel of three arbitrators ruled in favor of the Expos' $6 million offer over Vazquez's request for $7.15 million.
- December 2003: Vazquez was acquired by New York when the Yankees traded first baseman Nick Johnson, outfielder Juan Rivera, and lefthanded reliever Randy Choate to Montreal.
- January 5, 2004: he signed a four-year, $45 million contract with the Yanks. Javier got a $2 million signing bonus, $8.5 million next season, $10.5 million in 2005, $11.5 million in 2006, and $12.5 million in 2007.
- January 2005: The Diamondback sent P Randy Johnson to the Yankees, acquiring Vazquez, P Brad Halsey, and C Dioner Navarro, and $9 million in cash.
- November 11, 2005: Vazquez requested to be traded from the Diamondbacks. As a pitcher traded in the middle of a long-term contract, Vazquez had the right to request a trade. If the D'Backs did not trade Javier by March 15, 2006, he could become a free agent or rescind his trade request. If he elects free agency, he would void the final two years remaining on his contract at a total of $24 million.
Javier, who makes his offseason home in Puerto Rico, also has family there as does his wife, Kamille. He had said throughout the 2005 season that if he decided to request a trade it would be because the travel from Arizona to Puerto Rico was too arduous for his wife and children.
Vazquez told ESPN.com on November 10, 2005, "The toughest thing was that flight [from Arizona to Puerto Rico], especially with two young kids [ages 1 and 2] who have to move around and can't be still for two seconds. It was a whole-day trip. You leave at 9:00 a.m. and get in at 9-10 o'clock at night, and then have another hour and 20-minute ride to our house. It was just very hard. ... So for me and my family, it would just be easier to be closer to the East Coast."
- December 14, 2005: The White Sox sent pitchers Orlando Hernandez, Luis Vizcaino, and OF Chris Young to the Diamondbacks, acquiring Vazquez.
- December 3, 2008: The Braves sent SS Brent Lillibridge, C Tyler Flowers, 3B Jon Gilmore, LHP Santos Rodriguez, and a player to be named to the White Sox for Vazquez and P Boone Logan.
- December 22, 2009: The Yankees sent OF Melky Cabrera and RHP Mike Dunn, RHP Arodys Vizcaino, and $500,000 to the Braves, acquiring Vazquez and P Boone Logan.
- November 29, 2010: Vazquez and the Marlins agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract.
(Javy and Marlins manager Eddy Rodriguez are both from Ponce, Puerto Rico and have known each other a long time. Vazquez loves playing in Miami, so close to home.)
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PITCHING:
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- Vazquez is poised; he throws across his body and hides his pitches well. He has an 89-93 mph, sinking, two-seam FASTBALL, a rising, four-seam fastball, a nasty CURVEBALL, and a CHANGEUP that he uses against both righty and lefty hitters. He is not afraid to throw his curve or change at any time in the count. He will throw that changeup to both righthanded and lefthanded batters.
Javier also has a SLIDER.
In 2000 he added his CUT FASTBALL. Then, in 2004, Mike Mussina taught Vazquez a KNUCKLE-CURVE that he started using in 2005.
- Vazquez sells his changeup well, throwing it with the same arm speed and action as his heater. That makes it hard to pick up.
- The two keys to Javier's pitching are his control and the movement on his pitches. He throws quality pitches, is never rattled, and attacks hitters' weaknesses; he changes speeds and even arm slots to keep them off-balance. He has excellent presence on the mound.
- Vazquez doesn't show a lot of emotion on the mound. A rough outing doesn't get to him.
- Javier makes the job easy for his catcher.
- Javier used to throw too many pitches per inning. He had a real thirst for striking out every hitter he faced. But in 2002 he got over that, cut down his pitch counts, and moved his focus to eliminating bases on balls from his game.
- In March 2004, then-Expos General Manager Omar Minaya described Vazquez as highly competitive, someone who looks at each situation as a challenge. Pitching in the Bronx is no different. "He looks at New York as a place where he can thrive, where he can be the pitcher everyone expects him to be," Minaya said. "He's not afraid."
- In 2001, Vazquez was one of the best pitchers in the game. He went 9-2 with a 1.60 ERA. (He had gone 7-9, 4.92 before the All Star break).
- Javier is a flyball pitcher.
BATTLES INCONSISTENCY
- In 2003, Javier was inconsistent, posting a 2.50 ERA in April, 4.93 in June, and 1.15 in August.
- In 2004, Vazquez did OK the first half of the year (10-5, 3.56), but had a horrible second half, going 4-5 with a 6.92 ERA after the All-Star break.
It all fell apart for Javier in 2004. From all indications, his mechanics simply fell out of whack. He started throwing from a different arm angle, which affected the movement on his ball. As the second half went on, he continued to tinker with his delivery, trying to correct the problem, but things only seemed to get worse. He was more frustrated with himself than anyone.
- After his first start of the 2005 season, Javier did some research to find out if he has been tipping his pitches to hitters. The Cubs hit him real hard one day and his stuff just happened to be real good that day, leaving Vazquez speechless.
- In 2006, opponents batted 276 against him in the fourth through the sixth innings. And they hit .414 after Vazquez passed the 75-pitch mark.
Javier left many questions at the close of the 2006 season: Why can't he get past the sixth inning? Why do opponents hit .220 the first two times compared with .337 after? Why was he fourth in the AL in strikeouts but had the ninth-worst ERA among AL starters? Why was he 2-8 after the All-Star break?
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Vazquez entered the 2012 season with a career record of 165-160 with a 4.22 ERA, 373 home runs, and 2,784 hits allowed in 2,840 innings.
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