Biography
Vincent Joseph Pasquantino (born October 10, 1997), nicknamed "Pasquatch," is an American professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Amateur career
Pasquantino attended James River High School in Midlothian, Virginia. In 2016, he enrolled at Old Dominion University and played college baseball for the Old Dominion Monarchs. In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League. After his junior season at Old Dominion, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.
Professional career
Minor leagues
Pasquantino made his professional debut in 2019 with the Rookie-level Burlington Royals, batting .294 with 14 home runs and 53 runs batted in (RBIs) over 57 games. He did not play in 2020 because the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He started the 2021 season with the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits before being promoted to the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Over 116 games between the two teams, he slashed .300/.394/.563 with 24 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 37 doubles. Pasquantino opened the 2022 season with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. After the Royals traded first baseman Carlos Santana on June 27, Pasquantino was promoted to the active roster.
Major leagues
On July 1, 2022, Pasquantino hit a home run off of Detroit Tigers starter Michael Pineda for his first career major league hit. He hit his second career homer on July 11, coincidentally also off of Pineda. He was named the American League Player of the Week for August 8 to 14 when he hit .455 with four home runs and six RBIs in six games.
Pasquantino made the Opening Day roster for Kansas City in 2023. Playing in 61 games, he hit .247/.324/.437 with 9 home runs and 26 RBI. The Royals organization started a continuing tradition of having a team employee dressed in a bigfoot or sasquatch costume walk across the roof of the team hall of fame in left field each time Pasquantino reaches base; Pasquantino was not told by the team of the stunt beforehand, only learning of it when a friend sent him a link to a tweet containing a clip of the event. Pasquantino has embraced it, along with his nickname of "Pasquatch," wearing a gold sasquatch necklace. The Royals have also arranged promotional Pasquatch-themed giveaways such as necklaces and small figurines. On June 14, 2023, it was announced that Pasquantino would undergo season–ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Pasquantino began the 2024 season as the Royals' starting first baseman. During a game versus the Houston Astros on August 29, Pasquantino suffered a broken right thumb when Astros catcher Yainer Diaz ran into his outstretched hand as he attempted to field a throw from pitcher Lucas Erceg. He underwent surgery which ended his regular season. He played in 131 regular season games in 2024, slashing a combined .262/.315/.446 with 19 home runs, and 97 RBIs. On October 1, 2024, Pasquantino was added to the Royals' postseason roster for their Wild Card round matchup against the Baltimore Orioles. Playing in two games, he batted .286 with two hits and one RBI, also drawing two walks.
International career
Pasquantino is of Italian descent, choosing to represent his ancestors' home country as part of the Italian national baseball team for both the 2023 and 2026 editions of the World Baseball Classic.
Personal life
Pasquantino and Ryann Harris announced their engagement in September 2022. Like Pasquantino, Harris attended Old Dominion University, where she played for the women's soccer team. The two married in December 2023.