Ralphy Velazquez

Raffaele Javier "Ralphy" Velazquez (born May 28, 2005) is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Amateur career
Velazquez played for the 12U United States national baseball team in 2017. He attended Huntington Beach High School. As a junior in 2022, he hit .316 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs. As a senior in 2023, he batted .402 with six home runs. He committed to play college baseball at Arizona State University.

Professional career
Velazquez was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the first round with the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. On July 22, 2023, Velazquez signed with Cleveland for a below slot deal worth $2.5 million. He made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Guardians, hitting .348 over six games. He opened the 2024 season with the Lynchburg Hillcats. Velazquez was selected to represent the Guardians (alongside Jaison Chourio) in the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field.