Daniel Vellojin spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .314 in the 2019 campaign. After missing the 2020 season due to the cancelled season the Reds sent the catcher to Low-A Daytona where he joined the Tortugas. The first week of the season was a bit of a struggle as Vellojin went 1-10, picking up a double and walking six times in that stretch. Over the final two weeks of May things picked up, though, as he went 8-22 (.364) with another six walks and three more doubles in eight games to round out the month.
June began with a bit of a slump for the 21-year-old catcher. In the first three weeks he hit just .200, but did walked nine times and pick up his first two home runs. The following two weeks saw him hit .273 with five doubles. But another slump followed up as he went 1-22 from July 5th through July 17th. A hot streak followed up over the next three weeks as he went 21-65 (.323) with eight extra-base hits and 15 walks. Like earlier parts of the year, though, a slump followed as he went 1-17 in the next week-and-a-half. The final month would see a strong finish for Daniel Vellojin. In the final 18 games from August 24th through the final game on September 18th he went 19-64 (.297) with 14 walks and five extra-base hits.
For all 2021 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Daniel Vellojin Scouting Report
Position: Catcher | B/T: L/R
Height: 5′ 11″ | Weight: 160 lbs | Acquired: International FA (2018)
Born: March 15, 2000
Hitting | He has a below-average hit-tool.
Power | He has below-average power potential.
Speed | As it is with most catchers, he’s a well below-average runner.
Defense | He has above-average defense.
Arm | He has a plus arm.
Behind the plate is where Daniel Vellojin sticks out. He’s well regarded for his defense, showing a strong arm that helps control the running game, a good ability to call the game, and shows soft and quiet hands. Defensively he’s got everything you want to see from a big-league caliber defender.
At the plate there are some things to like. Most catchers have at least a solid eye at the plate given how often they see pitches. For Daniel Vellojin, though, his eye and understanding of the strikezone really sticks out. He walked nearly as often as he struck out in 2021 and while the weird situation with the Low-A Southeast and the automated strikezone played out in weird ways for much of the league, his eye still stood out among his peers.
There were times during the year that he struggled to hit, though. You can see that reflected in his .247 average as well as the ups-and-downs he had throughout the year with the bat. He can and does use the entire field – going to both left and center more often than his pull side in 2021, though most of his power was to the pull side. Finding a bit more consistency could be key for Vellojin. He’s got a chance to be a big league starter behind the plate due to his defense, but if his bat develops a little bit things could get interesting.
Daniel Vellojin Spray Chart
Interesting Stat on Daniel Vellojin
He threw out 43% of attempted base stealers in 2021.
This article was first sent out to those who support the site over on Patreon. Early access is one of the perks that you could get be joining up as a Patron and supporting the work done here at RedsMinorLeagues.com.
I’ve seen Vellojin make some Reds top prospect lists. Good defense, great eye, left-handed, and some potential pop in the bat. I hope he takes big leaps this year as he could be a great pairing with TySteph in the near future.
Yeah, it’s tough for me to really argue against it, even if he didn’t make mine. I want to see him hit a little more than he did before really pushing him up the list, but I can 100% understand why he was just inside the top 20 at some other places.
I really like Vellojin as a player to pop this season. He’s going to be playing a much easier league in which to hit, and he should be hitting in a pretty talented lineup. Only 21 last season, he OPSed 800+ in the Florida State League– that was in the league’s top 20 (minimum 200 ABs).
He reminds me a bit of Ryan Hanigan, but with better pop and a little less BA.
Good defense, a plus arm, and standout W/K ratio – sounds like an MLB backup already. Even without improvement is his ETA late ‘23, early ‘24?
Is simple bulk experience the dominant need?
I’d say 2024 is more likely. But you never really know – sometimes guys just take that big step. Catchers typically come along at the plate slower, though, and unless Vellojin really starts hitting, I’d expect the Reds to go 1 level at a time with him.
Especially with Kolozsvary in AAA and Nelson either in Advanced A with him or in AA ahead of him. (Plus Eric Yang.)
I don’t want to sound like a broken record by mentioning his size, as I often do with Cedrolla. But 160 pounds at his age is a concern. In terms of his needs and areas to develop, strength appears to be a major factor, especially at catcher.
He’s *probably* not 160 anymore. He’s still skinnier than most catchers, but I’d guess he’s more than 160 these days and that the information just hasn’t been updated by external sources.