Danny Valencia
Encyclopedia
Daniel Paul Valencia is a third baseman
for the Minnesota Twins
.
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 overall.
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 season ranked as the sixth-best prospect of the Twins by Baseball America
.
Valencia made his major league debut with the Twins in June 2010. He was named the third baseman on Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team, and on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. In 2011, he led the Twins in RBIs, and led all major league third basemen in assists.
, to Michael and Mindy Valencia. He grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He is Jewish, and says "People are shocked at first that I’m Jewish. I get teased in the clubhouse about being Jewish, but we all get teased about something. Going to Hebrew school and being a bar mitzvah … made my mom really happy. I wished I had been out playing baseball, but looking back at it now, I’m happy I did it.” His mother is also Jewish. His father is Cuban. Valencia has a sister, Laura.
In 1996, Valencia pitched for the Boca Raton Babe Ruth League 12-and-under all-star baseball team that won the Florida state championship. The next year, 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. 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.
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. As a junior in 2002 he was Offensive Player of the Year after hitting .430, and as a senior in 2003 he hit .575.
, 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 run
s. He was the 2004 Southern Conference
Freshman of the Year, and was voted second-team All-Conference.
During his sophomore year, Valencia played first base for the University of Miami Hurricanes
alongside then-third-baseman Ryan Braun
. He hit .300 and drove in 63 runs while batting fifth in the lineup
, and was named to the All-Regional Team. By his sophomore year of college, he had added 40 pounds. "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." During the summer of 2005, he played third base for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots
in the Alaska Baseball League
.
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. Valencia hit .312 with 124 runs batted in (RBIs) in 122 games over two years with the Hurricanes, and played in the College World Series
. Valencia then played seven games for the Orleans Cardinals
in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2006.
Drafted in the 19th round of the 2006 draft by the Minnesota Twins, the 576th player overall, he skipped his senior year of college to begin his pro career. 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."
. 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 RBIs in 48 games. He was also 5th in the league in at-bats-per-home-run. Valencia was named a Appalachian League
Post-Season All-Star, and then batted .364 in the playoffs.
Valencia was selected as a Midwest League
All Star in , while playing with the Beloit Snappers
, for whom he batted .302/.374/.500. His Beloit teammates nicknamed him "The Franchise". Manager Jeff Smith
lauded him for using the whole field when he batted, and for patience at the plate.
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.
Again assigned to the Miracle for the first half of , he batted a league-leading .336 with a league-leading 74 hit
s, 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. Jim Rantz
, director of minor leagues for the Twins, said that he expected Valencia would hit for both power and average.
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).
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. Rock Cats manager Tom Nieto
said: "Danny's going to be a special player. He's got an electric bat." He hit 38 double
s during the season, tied for the most in the Twins' organization.
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 as a non-roster invitee, batting .429, and was assigned to New Britain following spring training. Baseball America
ranked him as the 5th-best prospect in the Twins' organization.
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. On November 20, 2009, he was added to the Twins' 40-man roster. Rantz said: "We're still trying to fill the third-base hole. Eventually ... we're all hoping that [Valencia will] be that guy."
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. 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." 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."
Valencia entered the season ranked as the Twins' sixth-best prospect by Baseball America. Valencia began 2010 playing third base for Rochester, and was batting .292 in 48 games when he was called up by the parent club.
said: “I guarantee you one thing, he can hit a fastball
; and if he sits on a breaking ball
, he can hit that, too.” 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. In his debut that day, he went 1 for 3.
On July 26, 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 back-to-back games with 4 hits apiece.
In 2010, Valencia hit .394 with runners in scoring position
. That was best in the AL (ahead of Josh Hamilton), among those with at least 75 plate appearance
s in that situation. On defense, he had the 5th-best fielding percentage
among AL third basemen (.973).
For the season, his .311 batting average (the best by a Twins rookie in 46 years), .448 slugging percentage, and .799 OPS
were the highest among AL rookies with 300 or more plate appearances. He came in 3rd among AL rookies in hits (93) and total bases
(134). In 65 games after the All Star break, he led AL rookies in batting (.311), RBIs (37), and doubles (16).
Valencia was named the third baseman on Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team, and the third baseman on the 2010 Topps
Major League Rookie All-Star Team
. He was also named the Twins' Most Outstanding Rookie (the Bill Boni Award). He came in 3rd in the voting for 2010 AL Rookie of the Year, with one second-place vote and nine third-place votes.
s, with 260.
College
Minors
Majors
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
for the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
In high school, he was all-county three times and all-state twice. In college, he was Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
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
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, by the Twins in the 19th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft
2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
, the 576th player overall.
In the minors, Valencia was an All-Star in the Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
(2006), the Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
(2007), and the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
(2008). He entered the season ranked as the sixth-best prospect of the Twins by Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
.
Valencia made his major league debut with the Twins in June 2010. He was named the third baseman on Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team, and on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. In 2011, he led the Twins in RBIs, and led all major league third basemen in assists.
Early life
Valencia was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, to Michael and Mindy Valencia. He grew up in Boca Raton, Florida. He is Jewish, and says "People are shocked at first that I’m Jewish. I get teased in the clubhouse about being Jewish, but we all get teased about something. Going to Hebrew school and being a bar mitzvah … made my mom really happy. I wished I had been out playing baseball, but looking back at it now, I’m happy I did it.” His mother is also Jewish. His father is Cuban. Valencia has a sister, Laura.
In 1996, Valencia pitched for the Boca Raton Babe Ruth League 12-and-under all-star baseball team that won the Florida state championship. The next year, he pitched
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and hit
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
for the Boca Lightning 12-and-under travel baseball team that went 27–2 and won the South Florida All-Star Travel League championship. His two key hitting coaches growing up were Bob Molinaro
Bob Molinaro
Robert Joseph Molinaro is a former professional baseball outfielder in the minor and major leagues in a career that lasted 18 years. His baseball career began in 1968, and lasted till 1985...
, a family friend who is a former major leaguer and Eastern League manager, and his mother Mindy.
High school
Valencia played shortstopShortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
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. As a junior in 2002 he was Offensive Player of the Year after hitting .430, and as a senior in 2003 he hit .575.
UNC-Greensboro
Although 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 GreensboroUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
, one of two teams that had offered him a full baseball scholarship. In his freshman year, Valencia played third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
and batted .338 with a .527 slugging percentage and a team-leading 8 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. He was the 2004 Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
Freshman of the Year, and was voted second-team All-Conference.
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.During his sophomore year, Valencia played first base for the University of Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
alongside then-third-baseman Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
. He hit .300 and drove in 63 runs while batting fifth in the lineup
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
, and was named to the All-Regional Team. By his sophomore year of college, he had added 40 pounds. "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." During the summer of 2005, he played third base for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots
Anchorage Glacier Pilots
The Anchorage Glacier Pilots are a college summer baseball team in Anchorage, Alaska. They are part of the Alaska Baseball League, and a member of the National Baseball Congress....
in the Alaska Baseball League
Alaska Baseball League
The Alaska Baseball League is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league, with six teams located in four Alaskan cities. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining....
.
When Braun left to join the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system
Milwaukee Brewers minor league players
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Milwaukee Brewers system.-Patrick Arlis:Patrick Edward Arlis is a minor league baseball catcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 11th round of the 2002 amateur entry draft...
in 2005, Valencia replaced him at third base for his junior year, batting .324 with a .475 slugging percentage. Valencia hit .312 with 124 runs batted in (RBIs) in 122 games over two years with the Hurricanes, and played in the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
. Valencia then played seven games for the Orleans Cardinals
Orleans Cardinals
The Orleans Firebirds are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League and plays in the league's Eastern Division....
in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2006.
Drafted in the 19th round of the 2006 draft by the Minnesota Twins, the 576th player overall, he skipped his senior year of college to begin his pro career. 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."
Minor league career (2006–10)
In his first professional season, Valencia played first and third base with the Elizabethton TwinsElizabethton Twins
The Elizabethton Twins are a minor league baseball team in Elizabethton, Tennessee, USA. They are a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League, and have been a farm team of the Minnesota Twins since 1974. The Twins play home games at Joe O'Brien Field...
. He compiled a .311 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(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 RBIs in 48 games. He was also 5th in the league in at-bats-per-home-run. Valencia was named a Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
Post-Season All-Star, and then batted .364 in the playoffs.
Valencia was selected as a Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
All Star in , while playing with the Beloit Snappers
Beloit Snappers
The Beloit Snappers are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, that plays in the Midwest League.Beloit joined the Midwest League as an expansion franchise in 1982. They were a Milwaukee Brewers farm team from its beginning through 2004; they switched to the...
, for whom he batted .302/.374/.500. His Beloit teammates nicknamed him "The Franchise". Manager Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith (baseball)
Jeff Smith is a coach in the Minnesota Twins' organization. He currently manages their Double-A Eastern League affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats.-Playing career:...
lauded him for using the whole field when he batted, and for patience at the plate.
Immediately following the All Star game, he was promoted to the high A Fort Myers Miracle
Fort Myers Miracle
The Fort Myers Miracle is the Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club, currently managed by Jake Mauer. Home games are played at the Lee County Sports Complex in Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and opened in...
. He earned Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
(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.
Again assigned to the Miracle for the first half of , he batted a league-leading .336 with a league-leading 74 hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
s, and five home runs and 44 RBIs (2nd in the league), a .402 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
, 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. Jim Rantz
Jim Rantz
James John Rantz is an American front-office executive in Major League Baseball. Rantz has been the Minnesota Twins' farm system director since , holding the title of "Director of Minor Leagues." As of , his 25th consecutive season in the post, Rantz is one of the longest-tenured farm system...
, director of minor leagues for the Twins, said that he expected Valencia would hit for both power and average.
Valencia was promoted to the Twins' Double-A affiliate, the New Britain Rock Cats
New Britain Rock Cats
The New Britain Rock Cats are the Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club. They compete in the Eastern League and play their home games at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.-History:...
, 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).
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. Rock Cats manager Tom Nieto
Tom Nieto
Thomas Andrew Nieto is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former manager of the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Nieto previously served as the New York Mets' bench coach and catching instructor. A native of Downey, California, Nieto attended Oral Roberts...
said: "Danny's going to be a special player. He's got an electric bat." He hit 38 double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
s during the season, tied for the most in the Twins' organization.
Following the season, he played 31 games of winter ball with the Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
's Phoenix Desert Dogs
Phoenix Desert Dogs
The Phoenix Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League located in Phoenix, Arizona. They play their home games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics...
. He spent spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
with the Twins in as a non-roster invitee, batting .429, and was assigned to New Britain following spring training. Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
ranked him as the 5th-best prospect in the Twins' organization.
During the 2009 season, Valencia first played for New Britain and was then promoted to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
. 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. On November 20, 2009, he was added to the Twins' 40-man roster. Rantz said: "We're still trying to fill the third-base hole. Eventually ... we're all hoping that [Valencia will] be that guy."
He then played for the Indios de Mayagüez
Indios de Mayagüez
The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Normally based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 16 national championships and two Caribbean World Series...
in the Puerto Rico winter league, and as a foreign-born player (of Cuban heritage) for Team Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series. 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." 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."
Valencia entered the season ranked as the Twins' sixth-best prospect by Baseball America. Valencia began 2010 playing third base for Rochester, and was batting .292 in 48 games when he was called up by the parent club.
2010
Assessing Valencia's hitting during 2010 spring training, Twins manager Ron GardenhireRon Gardenhire
Ronald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.He is six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds during most of his baseball career....
said: “I guarantee you one thing, he can hit a fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
; and if he sits on a breaking ball
Breaking ball
In baseball, a breaking ball is a pitch that does not travel straight like a fastball as it approaches the batter. A pitcher who uses primarily breaking ball pitches is often referred to as a junkballer. A breaking ball will have some sideways or downward motion on it...
, he can hit that, too.” On June 3, Valencia was called up to replace Michael Cuddyer
Michael Cuddyer
Michael Brent Cuddyer is a Major League Baseball right fielder who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed, and wore number 5 for Minnesota Twins.-High school:...
, who had been placed on the bereavement list following the death of his father-in-law. In his debut that day, he went 1 for 3.
On July 26, Valencia hit a grand slam off reigning AL Cy Young
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
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 back-to-back games with 4 hits apiece.
In 2010, Valencia hit .394 with runners in scoring position
Scoring position
In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on second or third...
. That was best in the AL (ahead of Josh Hamilton), among those with at least 75 plate appearance
Plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance each time he completes a turn batting. A player completes a turn batting when: He strikes out or is declared out before reaching first base; or He reaches first base safely or is awarded first base ; or He hits a fair ball which...
s in that situation. On defense, he had the 5th-best fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
among AL third basemen (.973).
For the season, his .311 batting average (the best by a Twins rookie in 46 years), .448 slugging percentage, and .799 OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
were the highest among AL rookies with 300 or more plate appearances. He came in 3rd among AL rookies in hits (93) and total bases
Total bases
In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total....
(134). In 65 games after the All Star break, he led AL rookies in batting (.311), RBIs (37), and doubles (16).
Valencia was named the third baseman on Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team, and the third baseman on the 2010 Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
Major League Rookie All-Star Team
Topps All-Star Rookie Rosters
This is a year-by-year list of the Topps All-Star Rookie teams. Note that players selected for a particular team appear in the following year's set release...
. He was also named the Twins' Most Outstanding Rookie (the Bill Boni Award). He came in 3rd in the voting for 2010 AL Rookie of the Year, with one second-place vote and nine third-place votes.
2011
In 2011, Valencia batted .246, with 15 home runs and a team-leading 72 RBIs. On defense, he led the all major league third basemen in assistAssist
-Sports:Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team:*Assist , a pass by a player that facilitates a basket by another...
s, with 260.
Awards
High School- 3x First team All-Palm Beach County
- 2x Second team All-State
- 2002 South Florida Sun-Sentinel All-County
College
- 2004 Southern ConferenceSouthern ConferenceThe Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
Freshman of the Year - 2004 Second team All-Conference
- 2005 All-Regional Team
Minors
- 2006 Appalachian LeagueAppalachian LeagueThe Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
All-Star - 2007 Midwest LeagueMidwest LeagueThe Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
All Star - 2007 Florida State LeagueFlorida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
Player of the Week (July 16) - 2008 Florida State League All Star
- 2009 Eastern League Player of the Week (May 24)
Majors
- 2010 Baseball America All-Rookie Team (3B)
- 2010 Topps Rookie All-Star Team (3B)
- 2010 Twins' Most Outstanding Rookie (the Bill Boni Award)
See also
- List of select Jewish Major League Baseball players
External links
, or Minor League Baseball- "Q&A with Danny Valencia; Beloit Infield Prospect", SethSpeaks.net, June 8, 2007
- "TCD Q&A: Top Prospect Danny Valencia", Brad Weiss, TwinCitiesDugout, September 29, 2008
- "Video Interview of Danny Valencia", mlb.com, January 24, 2010