NEW YORK — Archie Bradley had a fur coat hanging in his locker on Sunday afternoon. Jared Walsh had the most oversized green pants he could find. Tyler Wade said he already had the perfect style, but he just needed get pants that were a little more baggy.

As the Angels prepared for their cross-country flight to New York, the players were paying homage to shortstop Andrew Velazquez with a “Dress Like Squid” theme.

A day earlier, all the players had been distributed T-shirts with a cartoon squid on the front, with five baseball gloves on its arms. On the back was the message: “70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Squid.”

Angel players wearing these T-Shirts today. Well, Velazquez does cover a lot of ground pic.twitter.com/BAK6h1aHEk

— Patrick O’Neal (@Patrick_ONeal) May 28, 2022

It’s all evidence that Velazquez — nickname: Squid — has quickly become a favorite in the Angels clubhouse.

“I’m happy to be the little brother for everybody,” Velazquez said. “It’s the universal energy.”

Anyone watching the Angels can see the way he plays shortstop, but that is only the start of what makes him so popular among his teammates.

Bradley’s days with Velazquez go back 10 years, to their time as teammates in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. That’s where the name Squid was born, but more on that later.

“He’s true to himself,” Bradley said. “That’s why we’re dressing the way we are today. I think it’s a testament to just the way he is as a person and the swag he brings on and off the field.”

Velazquez’s swag starts with his attire.

“I’ve been wearing a lot of baggy stuff recently,” Velazquez said. “I think it kind of fluctuates, just like street wear. I think I’m kind of just always paying attention to what’s hot right now.”

Walsh described Velazquez’s style as: “mid-90s skater.”

The Angels’ tribute to Velazquez is well timed, because they are spending this week in his hometown.

Velazquez, 27, grew up in the Bronx, idolizing Derek Jeter and going to Yankees games whenever he could. He still strongly identifies with the Bronx.

“It’s a part of me,” Velazquez said. “It’s who I am, not just where I was born.”

Velazquez played at Fordham Prep in the Bronx. The Diamondbacks picked him in the seventh round in 2012.

While he was in the Arizona system, coaches began calling him Squid. It was party the fact that he played such smooth defense, as if he had eight arms. Also, the sound at the start of the word “squid” sounded like the middle of “Velazquez,” he said.

The name stuck.

Now, no one calls him Andrew except his mother.

“I prefer Squid,” he said.

Although the Diamondbacks gave him his name, they didn’t keep him around for long. After three seasons in the Arizona system, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in November 2014. He moved up in the Rays system and got his first chance at the big leagues in September 2018.

In July 2019, the Rays traded him to Cleveland. The Baltimore Orioles grabbed him on the waiver wire in 2020. In January 2021, his beloved Yankees signed him as a minor league free agent.

On Aug. 9, Velazquez played his first game with the Yankees. Coincidentally, his first game with the Yankees in the Bronx was on Aug. 16, which was a makeup game against the Angels.

Velazquez said playing for the Yankees was “like a dream. It still doesn’t seem real.”

Yankees fans quickly took a liking to Velazquez, because he was a local kid and a brilliant shortstop.

“I feel like that community is already super tight knit, so when they have one of their own there, they rally behind that,” said Wade, who also played for the Yankees last season.

Velazquez moved into a prominent enough role that he was the Yankees starting shortstop in the wild card game last October.

The Yankees then placed Velazquez on waivers, and the Angels claimed him. Now, he’s getting the opportunity he never had with Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Baltimore or New York.

Velazquez had played a total of 96 games over four seasons with those teams, coming to the plate just 181 times. He hit .184 with a .525 OPS. Those teams had also bounced him around the field, using him at shortstop, second, third, left field, center field and right field.

With the Angels he’s already come to the plate 142 times, and he’s played shortstop in all 41 of his games. He’s started at short 39 times in the 44 games the Angels have played since he was recalled to replace an injured David Fletcher on April 12.

While the Angels weren’t sure what they had in Velazquez in spring training, when he was initially optioned, he quickly cemented his role once he showed what he could do at shortstop.

“It’s impressive, man,” Wade said. “He’s he’s got really good hands. He got good feet. And his range is unbelievable. Every single day you see him doing something cool.”

Velazquez is second among major league shortstops with eight defensive runs saved. Baltimore’s Jorge Mateo has nine.

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“He’s a freaking magician at shortstop,” Walsh said, “but even more so I think he’s got that personality that people gravitate toward. He’s real calm, under control all the time.”

The pitchers are particularly fond of Velazquez because of how he helps them prevent runs.

“Every pitcher here wants him behind you,” Bradley said. “You could care less if he doesn’t swing the bat the rest of the year.”

The bat has even shown some signs of life lately. Velazquez made an adjustment about a month ago, which he said was as simple as taking a more aggressive approach at the plate and trying to drive the ball instead of just flick it around the diamond.

As a result, he’s hit .253 with a .652 OPS over his last 21 games, bringing his season averages to .202 and .542.

“I’m telling you, the offense is going to keep coming on,” Manager Joe Maddon said. “If you’re enjoying the defense, just be patient. The offense is going to show up.”

Velazquez still has room for improvement at the plate — the Angels would love for him to become more adept at bunting, so he could use his speed — but his defense is good enough to allow them to stick with him.

Good enough to inspire T-shirts from his adoring teammates.

“If people believe in you, that’s the key thing,” Velazquez said. “The game is so mental, I think that little boost of confidence is important. So that’s my job on that side of the ball. So if they like me, I think it’s a good sign.”

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Noah Syndergaard, 4-2, 3.08) at Yankees (LHP Jordan Montgomery, 0-1, 3.30), Tuesday, 4:05 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM