Vazquez was sentenced Tuesday to up to four years of prison after he was previously convicted in May by a Westmoreland County (Pa.) jury on 15 offenses related to the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, Rich Cholodofsky of TribLive.com reports.
Since Vazquez has already served approximately 23 months of jail time after he was arrested in September 2019, he'll be eligible for parole next month after Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears ordered the 29-year-old to serve 2-to-4 years in prison and an additional two years of probation. The two-time All-Star faces additional criminal charges in Florida and Missouri related to his sexual relationship with the teenage victim, which lasted for nearly two years. Vazquez remains on the Pirates' restricted list and will be tethered to the organization until his contract expires after the season, but his baseball career is undoubtedly over.
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Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Convicted on 15 charges
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Vazquez will face prison sentencing in about three months after a Westmoreland County (Pa.) jury found him guilty on 15 counts stemming from a sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, Rich Cholodofsky of TribLive.com reports.
The 29-year-old Vazquez's baseball career was already believed to be over at the time he was arrested in September 2019, and his conviction makes the matter official. According to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic, Vazquez will remain on MLB's restricted list while he serves his prison term. He'll be tethered to the Pirates without pay until the four-year, $22 million extension he signed in January 2018 expires after the current season.
Florida prosecutors filed 21 new charges against Vazquez on Tuesday, the Renatta Signorini and Rich Cholodofsky of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.
Police seized an iPhone and a MacBook Pro they say belonged to Vazquez, and a search of those devices led to the additional charges; 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single charge of corruption of minors. Vazquez was originally arrested in September for engaging in sexual activity with a minor and was subsequently placed on the restricted list by MLB. He is being held without bail.
Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Placed on restricted list
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The Commissioner's Office will immediately place Vazquez on the restricted list following his arrest Tuesday, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.
Vazquez has been charged in Lee County, Florida with one count of computer pornography, solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors. Four additional charges have also been filed against Vazquez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Pirates president Frank Coonelly released a statement saying, "Today we were made aware of an active law enforcement investigation involving Felipe Vazquez and his subsequent arrest. We take this matter, and these charges in particular, extremely seriously. We have informed the Commissioner's Office of the investigation and arrest. The Commissioner's Office will immediately place Felipe Vazquez on administrative leave (and, as a result, restricted list) pursuant to the Joint MLB/MLBPA policy. We need to be respectful to all involved and the ongoing legal proceeding. As a result, the organization, our staff and players cannot comment any further at this time."
Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Arrested, charged in Florida
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Vazquez has been arrested and charged in Lee County, Florida with one count of computer pornography, solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Pirates have yet to issue a statement on the matter. The Commissioner's Office will likely launch its own investigation in tandem with local police. According to Passan, Vazquez is being put on administrative leave by Major League Baseball.
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Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Not available Friday
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Vazquez won't be available to pitch Friday against the Cubs, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Vazquez pitched the last two days and three of the last four days, so manager Clint Hurdle will look elsewhere should a save opportunity arise Friday. Keone Kela and Richard Rodriguez are also said to be unavailable, leaving the Pirates without most of their typical higher-leverage options out of the bullpen.
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Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Bags 28th save
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Vazquez picked up the save Thursday after allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless ninth inning against the Giants.
Vazquez issued a leadoff walk and then surrendered a single, but he managed to retire the final three batters to lock down the victory. He's now turned in four straight scoreless outings, registering four saves over that stretch.
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Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Posts 27th save
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Vazquez picked up the save Wednesday against the Giants after firing a perfect ninth inning that included one strikeout.
With the Pirates leading 6-3 in the ninth, Vazquez needed just six pitches to finish things off, punching out Jaylin Davis for the final out of the game. The southpaw now has 27 saves for Pittsburgh this season, along with a 3.14 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 88:12 K:BB.
Vazquez picked up the save against the Giants on Monday, striking out two without allowing a baserunner in the ninth inning to close out a 6-4 victory for the Pirates.
Vazquez made quick work of the Giants, needing just 11 pitches to retire the side and pick up his 26th save of the year. He's been lights-out as the primary ninth-inning option for the Pirates this season, posting a 1.71 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 87:12 K:BB across 58 innings.
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Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Posts 25th save
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Vazquez allowed two hits with no walks and struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings to post his 25th save in a 9-4 victory over the Cardinals on Friday.
With runners on second and third and two outs in the eighth, the Pirates turned to their closer to protect a 7-4 lead, and Vazquez promptly struck out the final batter of the frame. The Pirates padded their lead to five in the bottom of the eighth, but it still counted as a save for Vazquez since he entered with just a three-run lead. He struck out two and allowed two hits in the ninth, keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard. Vazquez owns 25 saves with a 1.74 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 57 innings this season.
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Pirates' Felipe Vazquez: Blows third save
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Vazquez allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout during a blown save in the ninth inning against the Marlins on Tuesday.
The Pirates lost in the 10th after Vazquez departed. He gave up just one hit, but it was a solo homer to tie the game. This hurts because Vazquez really hasn't received many save opportunities since the All-Star break, but he is still 5-1 with 24 saves in 27 chances for the season. He also has a 1.78 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.
