Javier Valentín
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cincinnati Reds — No. 17 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 19, 1975 Manatí, Puerto Rico |
|
|---|---|
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| September 13, 1997 for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
|
| Batting average | .251 |
| Home runs | 41 |
| Runs batted in | 192 |
| Teams | |
|
|
José Javier Valentín (born September 19, 1975 in Manatí, Puerto Rico) is a catcher in Major League Baseball.[1] He currently plays for the Cincinnati Reds (2004-present) after playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003) and playing in four brief stints for the Minnesota Twins from 1997-2002. He is the younger brother of New York Mets second baseman José Valentín[2]. In 2005, he hit .281 with a career-high 14 home runs as a backup catcher for the Reds. He is a switch-hitter. Valentín has also played briefly at first base in his time with Cincinnati.
[edit] Baseball career
Valentín was drafted on June 3, 1993 by the Minnesota Twins in the third round of the 1993 Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut on September 13, 1997 and ended up playing three seasons for the Twins.
On November 15, 2002, the Twins traded him with Matt Kinney to the Milwaukee Brewers for Minor League prospects Gerry Oakes and Matt Yeatman. A few months later, the Brewers sent him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Jason Conti.
After becoming a free agent, Valentín signed with the Cincinnati Reds on January 8, 2004. He has remained with the Reds for the last four seasons mainly as a back-up catcher and a specialized pinch hitter.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
 This biographical article relating to a baseball catcher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
