Felipe Vazquez Biography – Wiki
Felipe Vázquez was convicted in May of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in 2017. His nickname “Nightmare” is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher and convicted sex offender who is currently on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ restricted list. He previously played for the Washington Nationals. He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 before his off-field legal issues led to him being placed on the restricted list by both the Pirates and Major League Baseball.
In 2018, he changed his last name from Rivero to Vázquez to match his sister’s last name, citing that she had been a large part of his career.
Age
Felipe Vázquez is 30-years-old.
Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Conduct with a Minor
Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez was sentenced this week for sexual conduct with a 13-year-old girl in 2017.
Vázquez was convicted in May of 15 counts, including statutory sexual assault, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. He was sentenced Tuesday in Westmoreland County to between 2 and 4 years in prison.
The 30-year-old athlete has already been in jail since his arrest in September 2019 and will apply for a parole hearing a month after his arrival in prison, according to the Post-Gazette report.
He faces similar charges pending in Missouri and Florida related to his communication with the girl, which allegedly lasted from 2017 to 2019.
Vazquez played for the Pirates from 2016 to 2019.
Felipe Vazquez Attorney
His attorney, Gary Gerson, told the Post-Gazette that he “will eventually be transported to the Department of Corrections processing center in Camp Hill.”
“In a month, [Vazquez] will be on his minimum sentence eligible for parole and of course he will have to have a parole hearing and things like that,” Gerson said. “The unknown is what Florida wants to do with prosecuting him, and if they want to do it sooner or later. I don’t know.”
Gerson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Westmoreland County district attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Pitching Style
Vázquez throws a fastball that can reach more than 100 miles per hour (160 km / h). Vázquez’s fastball averaged 96.4 miles per hour (155.1 km / h) in 2016 and about 98 miles per hour (158 km / h) in 2017. As a prospect for the Rays, Vázquez initially threw just 86 miles per hour. hour (138 km / h). ). He also throws an effective 89-90 mph (143-145 km / h) gear change with two-seam motion, which he picked up in the Rays’ minor league system. Vazquez started releasing it frequently in 2015 and uses it about 25 percent of the time. Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage referred to the field as a “Bugs Bunny trade.” Vazquez also throws a slider and a curveball.