Nearly a decade since he first signed as a pro, Chris Vasquez was playing in independent ball.His affiliated career had ended four seasons prior. It also ended at the highest point he got to - AA.
"I've accepted it," Vasquez told The Los Angeles Daily News in 1999 of the notion that he would never make the bigs. "You can play as hard as you can, to the best of your ability, but there are other people who decide whether or not you're going to make it."
Vasquez spoke then playing as a member of the independent Madison Black Wolf in Wisconsin. He got his start back in 1990, signed by the Reds as a 40th round pick.
Vasquez was originally taken by the Reds as that late-round selection in 1989, out of Hart High School in Newhall, Ca. Vasquez also took the field for the College of the Canyons before taking the field for the Reds.
With the Reds, Vasquez started in 1990 with rookie Billings. There, he hit .286 in 54 games. He then moved to single-A Cedar Rapids and single-A Charleston in 1991, hitting .260 between them.
In June 1991, Vasquez knocked in three runs in a game for Charleston. In July, Vasquez hit a game-winning home run in his second game at Cedar Rapids.
For 1992, Vasquez remained at Cedar Rapids. His numbers also suffered early on in the season, according to The Los Angeles Times.
"I was really focused on my stats and it really messed me up," Vasquez explained to The Times.
"I was putting too much pressure on myself. I'm not even thinking about (stats) anymore and I'm doing a lot better."
Vasquez ended up hitting .259 on the season, staying the full campaign at Cedar Rapids. For 1993, he moved up to high-A Winston-Salem, then split 1994 between there and Charleston. For 1995, his last year in the Reds system, Vasquez made AA Chattanooga, but for just seven games.
Vasquez played out 1995 in independent ball, at Mohawk Valley and Sonoma County. In 1996, he played at independent Tri-City.
Vasquez didn't finally stop playing until 2004, credited with playing somewhere each year except 1997 and 2003. He's last recorded as playing with the independent Jackson Senators.
Read the July 2013 interview: Chris Vasquez, That Ability
- Los Angeles Daily News, June 19, 1999: Vasquez plays for the love of it
- Los Angeles Times, July 5, 1992: Zaun Unafraid to Experiment in an Effort to Halt Slump
Players/Coaches Featured:1,121
Made the Majors: 662 - 59.1%
Never Made Majors: 459-40.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 287
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 172-X
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