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Danny Valencia

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Danny Valencia
Minnesota Twins – No. 19
Third baseman
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
debut
June 3, 2010, for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics
(through August 25, 2010)
Batting average.330
Home runs2
Runs batted in20
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Daniel Paul Valencia (born September 19, 1984, in Boca Raton, Florida) is a third baseman for the Minnesota Twins.[1]

In high school, he was all-county three times and all-state twice. In college, he was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, second-team all-conference, and on his all-regional team. He was drafted while he was a junior at the University of Miami, by the Twins in the 19th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft, the 576th player chosen.[2]

In the minors, Valencia was an All-Star in the Appalachian League (2006), the Midwest League (2007), and the Florida State League (2008). He entered the 2010 season ranked as the Twins' sixth-best prospect by Baseball America.[3]

Valencia made his major league debut with the Twins on June 3, 2010.[4]

Early life

Valencia, who is Jewish, was born in Miami, Florida, to Michael and Mindy Valencia.[1] He grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, and has a sister, Laura.[5][6][7][8][9]

In 1996, Valencia pitched for the Boca Raton Babe Ruth League 12-and-under all-star baseball team that won the Florida state championship, and in 1997 he pitched and hit for the Boca Lightning 12-and-under travel baseball team that went 27–2 and won the South Florida All-Star Travel League championship.[10]

His two key hitting coaches growing up were Bob Molinaro, a family friend who is a former major leaguer and Eastern League manager, and his mother Mindy.[11]

High school

Valencia played shortstop for four years for the Spanish River High School Sharks. He earned South Florida Sun-Sentinel All-County honors as a junior, and was named first team All-Palm Beach County three times and second team All-State twice.[12][13][6][8] As a junior in 2002 he was Offensive Player of the Year after hitting .430, and as a senior in 2003 he hit .575.[6]

College

UNC-Greensboro

Though Valencia had dreamed of playing for the University of Miami, its baseball program did not recruit him, and instead he went to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, one of two teams that had offered him a full baseball scholarship. In his freshman year, Valencia played third base and batted .338 with a .527 slugging percentage and a team-leading 8 home runs.[13][6][7] He was the 2004 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, and was voted second-team All-Conference.[7]

University of Miami

Homesick for Florida, Valencia sought to transfer to the University of Miami after his freshman year, even though it only offered him a modest scholarship. UNC-Greensboro initially agreed to release Valencia from his scholarship, but later refused, placing him in jeopardy of losing a year of college eligibility under NCAA Division I rules. He appealed to a university committee which ruled in his favor, allowing him to leave while preserving his eligibility.[7][9]

During his sophomore year, Valencia played first base for the University of Miami Hurricanes alongside then-third-baseman Ryan Braun, hitting .300 and driving in 63 runs while batting fifth in the lineup, and was named to the All-Regional Team.[14][15] By his sophomore year of college, he had added 40 pounds.[15][16][6][8] "It's night and day" from UNC-Greensboro, said Valencia. "It's awesome. It's what every Florida kid dreams of. It's the program–the winning, the uniforms. Everything from the strength coach to the facilities is completely different."[15] During the summer of 2005, he played third base for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in the Alaska Baseball League.[12]

When Braun left to join the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system in 2005, Valencia replaced him at third base for his junior year, batting .324 with a .475 slugging percentage.[12][17] In two years (and 122 games) with the Hurricanes, Valencia hit .312 with 124 RBIs, and played in the College World Series.[11] Valencia then played seven games for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2006.[18]

Drafted in the 19th round of the 2006 draft by the Minnesota Twins, the 576th player chosen, he skipped his senior year of college to begin his pro career.[19][20] Valencia was disappointed in his draft position, but said "... realistically it does not change things for me. My goal has always been to get to the big leagues... It does not matter where you start, but where you finish."[21]

Minor league career (2006–10)

In his first professional season, Valencia played first and third base with the Elizabethton Twins. He compiled a .311 batting average (9th in the league, and 5th in the Twins' organization) and a .505 slugging percentage (6th in the league), with eight home runs (4th in the league) and 29 runs batted in in 48 games. He was also 5th in the league in at-bats-per-home-run.[22] Valencia was named a 2006 Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star, and then batted .364 in the playoffs.[23][24][25][25]

Valencia was selected as a Midwest League All Star in 2007, while playing with the Beloit Snappers, for whom he batted .302/.374/.500.[26][20] His Beloit teammates nicknamed him "The Franchise".[27] Manager Jeff Smith lauded him for using the whole field when he batted, and for patience at the plate.[27]

Immediately following the All Star game, he was promoted to the high A Fort Myers Miracle. He earned Florida State League (FSL) "Player of the Week" honors, batting .379 (11–29) with two home runs, three runs scored, and 10 RBIs for the week of July 16. He hit a combined .297/.354/.462 with 17 homers and 66 RBIs at Beloit and Fort Myers.[28]

Again assigned to the Miracle for the first half of 2008, he batted a league-leading .336 with a league-leading 74 hits, and five home runs and 44 RBIs (2nd in the league), a .402 on base percentage, and a .518 slugging percentage. He was named a Florida State League All Star, and helped the Miracle capture the FSL 2008 Western Division first half crown.[29][30][31] Jim Rantz, Twins director of minor leagues, said that he expected Valencia would hit for both power and average.[29]

Valencia was promoted to the Twins' Double-A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats, for the second half of the season. With the Rock Cats, Valencia batted .289 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs. Between the two teams, he batted .311 (6th in the Twins' system), with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs (4th in the Twins' system).[32][33]

With the Rock Cats to start 2009, he was voted the Eastern League Player of the Week Award for the week ending May 24, after batting .444 with a .778 slugging percentage.[34] Rock Cats manager Tom Nieto said: "Danny's going to be a special player. He's got an electric bat."[11] He hit 38 doubles during the season, tied for the most in the Twins' organization.[35]

Following the season, he played 31 games of winter ball with the Arizona Fall League's Phoenix Desert Dogs. He spent spring training with the Twins in 2009 as a non-roster invitee, batting .429, and was assigned to New Britain following spring training.[36][37] Baseball America ranked him as the 5th-best prospect in the Twins' organization.[38]

During the 2009 season, Valencia first played for New Britain and was then promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. He batted a combined .285 with 14 home runs and 70 RBIs for the two teams. The Twins management indicated that it felt that Valencia would be one of the top position players of the future.[39][40][41] On November 20, 2009, he was added to the Twins' 40-man roster.[42] Rantz said: "We're still trying to fill the third-base hole. Eventually ... we're all hoping that [Valencia will] be that guy."[43]

He then played for the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rico winter league, and as a foreign-born player (of Cuban heritage) for Team Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.[44][45] Twins general manager Bill Smith said in December: "I give Danny Valencia credit. He's down in Puerto Rico right now playing winter ball, and trying to get better.... You always want an underdog guy, somebody to step up when presented with an opportunity."[46] Hector Otero, the Twins scout who signed Valencia and who was the general manager of the Mayagüez club, said: "I think he is a talented player. He definitely can throw. He worked on his defense–worked extra before games–and everyone knows he can swing the bat."[47]

Valencia began 2010 playing third base for Rochester, and was batting .292 in 48 games when he was called up by the parent club.[48]

Major league career (2010–present)

Assessing Valencia's hitting during spring training, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said: “I guarantee you one thing, he can hit a fastball; and if he sits on a breaking ball, he can hit that, too.”[49] On June 3, Valencia was called up to replace Michael Cuddyer, who had been placed on the bereavement list following the death of his father-in-law.[50] In his debut, he went 1 for 3.[51] On July 26, 2010, Valencia hit a grand slam off reigning AL Cy Young winner Zach Greinke to record his first big league homer; the feat marked the first time in the 49 years of Twins franchise history that a player's first Major League home run was a grand slam. The game was also his first 4-hit performance. The next day, Valencia became the first Twins rookie to have a back-to-back games with 4 hits apiece. On August 27, he hit his first career Major League triple against Jason Vargas of the Seattle Mariners.

Awards

High School
College
  • 2004 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
  • 2004 Second team All-Conference
  • 2005 All-Regional Team


Minors

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Danny Valencia Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  2. ^ "576th Picks Overall in the MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  3. ^ John Manuel (January 12, 2010). "Top 10 Prospects: Minnesota Twins". Baseball America. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners - Recap - June 3, 2010". ESPN. June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  5. ^ "Minnesota Twins Rookie is Jewish". Jewish Baseball News. July 1, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Player Bio: Danny Valencia – Miami Official Athletic Site". Hurricanesports.cstv.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d Omar Kelly (February 11, 2005). "Future Investment; Transfer Danny Valencia Hopes To Garner Attention – And a Full Ride". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c "Hurricanes Baseball 2006; Danny Valencia". Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  9. ^ a b Jorge Milian (February 1, 2005). "Valencia Blossoms". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  10. ^ Heeren, Dave. "Articles about Danny Valencia by Date – Page 3". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b c Dom Amore (May 29, 2009). "Valencia Maturing Quickly; Twins Have Big Expectations for Third Baseman of Rock Cats". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  12. ^ a b c Alex Ordoqui (November 11, 2005). "Valencia Makes Switch Back to 3B". Canes Times. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ a b Reports, Staff. "Articles about Danny Valencia by Date – Page 4". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Hurricanes Rebound With 16-3 Win Against George Washington; 4-For-4: Jon Jay, Ryan Braun, Danny Valencia and Walter Diaz each have four hits against the Colonials". CSTV. February 27, 2005. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  15. ^ a b c Mark Berman (April 10, 2005). "Transfers bask in Salem sunshine; Transfers Danny Valencia and Brendan Katin combine for 14 RBI in the Miami rout". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  16. ^ "Play Ball! – Miami Official Athletic Site". Hurricanesports.cstv.com. January 27, 2006. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  17. ^ "Danny Valencia Batting Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  18. ^ "Cardinals get help from a Hurricane", Cape Cod Times, July 1, 2006, July 5, 2010
  19. ^ "576th Picks Overall in the MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  20. ^ a b "Top 40 Twins Prospects of 2008". AaronGleeman.com. February 19, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  21. ^ Brad Weiss (September 29, 2008). "TCD Q&A: Top Prospect Danny Valencia". TwinCitiesDugout. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  22. ^ "dannyvalencia.com". Crmgybk.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  23. ^ Lisa Winston (August 30, 2006). "Appalachian League News". minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  24. ^ "Danny Valencia Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights". Minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  25. ^ a b "Elizabethtown Twins Season in Review", June 9, 2003, accessed July 5, 2010
  26. ^ "Snappers have good, bad news; Beloit loses, but has six All-Stars," BDN Staff, The Beloit Daily News, June 6, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  27. ^ a b "Big finish for Beloit, Burnett; Alex Burnett hurls a pitch during the second inning Thursday night; Snappers' late surge gives starter first win", Rob Lucas, The Beloit Daily News, April 27, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  28. ^ La Velle E. Neal III (September 29, 2007). "Minors offer little hope for help with position players". The Star Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ a b La Velle E. Neal III (June 1, 2008). "Twins minor league report: Valencia looking good in Class A". The Star Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ King, Chuck (June 19, 2008). "FSL Notebook: St. Lucie Mets look forward to 'starting fresh'". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  31. ^ "Rock Cats Have Several Roster Transactions". OurSports Central. June 16, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  32. ^ Kevin T. Czerwinski (December 18, 2009). "Martin shortens swing, sees results". Minnesota.twins.mlb.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  33. ^ Lisa Winston (March 24, 2009). "10 Twins prospects to watch". Minnesota.twins.mlb.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  34. ^ "Eastern League Player of the Week Award winners announced". Stamfordplus.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  35. ^ Anthony Maggio (June 14, 2010). "Valencia quietly impresses Twins". Foxsportsnorth.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  36. ^ "Minnesota Twins Announce Spring Training Invites". Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  37. ^ La Velle E. Neal III (May 23, 2009). "Valencia finds focus in Class AA". The Star Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ "Rock Cats to kick off 2009 season at New Britain Stadium". Stamfordplus.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  39. ^ "A's trade Cabrera to Twins". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  40. ^ "For starters, Twins need a starter". The Star Tribune. July 30, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  41. ^ "Gomez finds mentor in Cabrera". The Star Tribune. August 6, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ "Twins add six to fill out 40-man roster; Valencia, Guerra protected from Rule 5 Draft". November 20, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  43. ^ Lisa Winston (November 26, 2009). "Lots of stars waiting in the Twins' wings; There's serious talent growing in Minnesota's farm system". MLB.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  44. ^ Jesse Sanchez (February 5, 2010). "Valencia leads Puerto Rico past DR; Twins infield prospect goes 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs in victory". MLB.com. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  45. ^ "Harris, Punto each vying for Twins' 3rd base job". USA Today. February 28, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ Kelly Thesier (December 8, 2009). "Twins' Hot Stove action shifts to hot corner; Club explores third-base options; Valencia in winter ball". Mlb.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  47. ^ La Velle E. Neal III (February 28, 2010). "One step deserves another; Danny Valencia, one of the Twins' best prospects, is making steady progress toward a shot at a major league job". The Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  48. ^ Joe Christensen (June 3, 2010). "Michael Cuddyer out 4 games; Danny Valencia up". The Star Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  49. ^ "Valencia can become Twins third baseman". The Democrat and Chronicle. March 22, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  50. ^ "Cuddyer to leave Twins after family death". USA Today. June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  51. ^ "Hernandez confounds Twins to halt personal four-game slide", Associated Press, June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
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