One-Card Wonder Pt. 33: Quilvio Veras

Quilvio Veras?  Yep, Quilvio Veras.  But, don't go poring over his career statistics looking for how he did in Boston.  You will not find anything.  Veras never played a single game with the Boston Red Sox.

Veras began his career with the Florida Marlins and led the league in stolen bases in his rookie season.  After a disappointing season in 1996, he was traded to the Padres where he continued to hit for a reasonable batting average while stealing a bunch of bases from the leadoff position.  After three seasons with the Padres, he was traded again to the Braves.  He spent about a season and a half in Atlanta where he was plagued by injuries.  He was released by the Braves in early August of 2001.

Shortly after his release, Veras was snatched up by the Red Sox and continued to rehab.  He ended up playing three games in Pawtucket and never saw action with the big league club.  He was allowed to leave as a free agent to the Dodgers after the season, but never saw Major League action again.

Failed Prospects Pt. 8: Wilton Veras

Since I have been a fan, there have been several players with huge expectations in the Red Sox minor league system. Some of these players, such as Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Trot Nixon, Jon Lester, and others meet those expectations. Others are not as fortunate.

WILTON VERAS
Wilton Veras was supposed to be one of the top prospects that Dan Duquette developed. It just did not work out that way. The third baseman had power potential, could hit for a decent average, and played decent defense. At least he did in the minors.

But Veras never could make the Major Leagues for long. He spent parts of two seasons in Boston and compiled a slash line of .262/.297/.340/.637. He hit two home runs and drove in 27. He also struck out 34 times and only walked 12 times in 294 plate appearances. It was this poor strike zone judgment that ultimately cost Veras a career.

Veras jumped from AA to the Majors. He could not cut it in the Majors so he was sent to AAA to get more seasoning but he was never able to develop there either. He was out of professional baseball after the 2003 season.