Vazquez brought a disciplined bat and a utilityman’s glove with him from the minor leagues. A native Puerto Rican, Vazquez played for Indian Hills Community College in Iowa before being drafted in the 25th round by the Seattle Mariners in 1995. As a minor-leaguer, he hit line drives and walked more often than he struck out, but in his 17 major-league games he batted .229 while playing the middle infield or the hot corner.
