Freddie Velazquez

Born in Santo Domingo, DR Velázquez was the first Dominican catcher to play in the major leagues. He was signed originally to a minor-league contract in 1958 by San Francisco Giants scout Horacio Martínez, who had also signed Juan Marichal, Manny Mota and the three Alou brothers: Felipe, Matty and Jesús. He played just one season for the Giants organization in the same year, appearing in 102 games for the Class-D Panama City Fliers and was released by the Giants after the season.\n', '

Afterwards, Velázquez played only winterball in the Dominican League until he was signed by the Kansas City Athletics prior to the 1964 season. He stayed with the Atletics until 1968, playing mainly in A-ball, appearing in more than 100 games three times in those five years, but he batted fairly well and hit 43 home runs overall, including 16 homers in 1968.\n', 'The San Diego Padres acquired Velázquez in…