Dave Valle
Encyclopedia
David Valle is an American
former professional
baseball
player and current television and radio sports commentator
. He played as a catcher
in Major League Baseball
for the Seattle Mariners
, Boston Red Sox
, Milwaukee Brewers
, and Texas Rangers
from to .
. He played in the minor leagues
for seven seasons before making his major league debut with the Mariners on September 7, 1984
at the age of 23. For the next two seasons, Valle split his playing time with the Mariners and the Calgary Cannons
of the Pacific Coast League
, producing a .312 batting average
with 21 home runs and 71 runs batted in with Calgary during the season.
From 1987
to 1990
, he played for the Mariners in a platoon system
alongside left-handed hitting catcher, Scott Bradley
. Valle led American League
catchers in 1990 with a .997 fielding percentage
, committing only two errors
in 102 games.
During the 1991
, Valle played over 130 games and hovered around a .190 batting average
. As the season matured, several television and radio media personnel loosely joked about this as the "Dave Valle Line", a reference to the Mendoza Line
(a batting average of .200) as a measuring stick of batting futility for a non-pitcher. Several bars in the Seattle area began running promotions of selling beers for $1.90 each in honor of Valle's dubious achievement. However, Valle finished the 1991 season with a .194 batting average.
From 1991
to 1993
, he was the Mariners' starting catcher. He had his best season in 1993, hitting for a .258 batting average with 13 home run
s and 63 runs batted in. He also led American League catchers in 1993 with 881 putout
s, 57 baserunners caught stealing
, a 7.05 range factor
, finished second to Mike Stanley
with a .995 fielding percentage, and finished third in assists
behind Pat Borders
and Iván Rodríguez
. Valle also caught a no-hitter
pitched by Chris Bosio
on April 22, 1993.
Valle became a free agent
after the season and signed a contract to play for the Boston Red Sox
, who traded him later that same year to the Milwaukee Brewers
. He then signed with the Texas Rangers in 1995
, serving as a reserve catcher to Iván Rodríguez, before retiring after the 1996
season.
, accumulating 658 hits
in 2775 at bats for a .237 career batting average along with 77 home runs and 350 runs batted in. While he was a light-hitting player, Valle was a good defensive catcher, ending his career with a .992 fielding percentage.
for Seattle Mariners television and radio broadcasts from 1997 through 2006. Since 2007, he has co-hosted the postgame show on the Mariners' radio network. In 2009, he became one of the analysts on the MLB Network
's MLB tonight show. In 2011, he returned to the Mariners radio network to call games on a part-time basis.
and Haiti
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and current television and radio sports commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
. He played as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
from to .
Major League career
Valle was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the second round of the 1978 Major League Baseball Draft1978 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :In 1978, four players made the jump from amateur baseball to the major leagues, including Arizona State third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one overall by the Atlanta...
. He played in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
for seven seasons before making his major league debut with the Mariners on September 7, 1984
1984 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1984 season was their 8th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 5th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 74-88.- Offseason :...
at the age of 23. For the next two seasons, Valle split his playing time with the Mariners and the Calgary Cannons
Calgary Cannons
The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for 18 seasons, from 1985 until 2002. They were a member of the AAA Pacific Coast League and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons replaced the Calgary Expos who played in the rookie level Pioneer League...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, producing a .312 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 :...
with 21 home runs and 71 runs batted in with Calgary during the season.
From 1987
1987 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1987 season was their 11th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 4th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 78-84.-Offseason:...
to 1990
1990 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1990 season was their 14th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 5th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 77-85.-Regular season:...
, he played for the Mariners in a platoon system
Platoon system
The platoon system in baseball is a method of designating two players to a single defensive position—usually one right-handed and one left-handed. Typically the right-handed half of the platoon is played on days when the opposing pitcher is left-handed and the left-handed player is played otherwise...
alongside left-handed hitting catcher, Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley (baseball)
Scott William Bradley is a former Major League Baseball catcher in the major leagues from to . He played for the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds. He is currently the head coach of Princeton University's baseball team.On June 26, 1986, Bradley was traded...
. Valle led American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
catchers in 1990 with a .997 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...
, committing only two errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 102 games.
During the 1991
1991 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1991 season was their 15th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 5th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 83-79. It was the first above-.500 season in franchise history.-Regular season:...
, Valle played over 130 games and hovered around a .190 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 :...
. As the season matured, several television and radio media personnel loosely joked about this as the "Dave Valle Line", a reference to the Mendoza Line
Mendoza Line
The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose lifetime batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting...
(a batting average of .200) as a measuring stick of batting futility for a non-pitcher. Several bars in the Seattle area began running promotions of selling beers for $1.90 each in honor of Valle's dubious achievement. However, Valle finished the 1991 season with a .194 batting average.
From 1991
1991 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1991 season was their 15th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 5th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 83-79. It was the first above-.500 season in franchise history.-Regular season:...
to 1993
1993 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1993 season was their 17th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 4th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 82-80. During the 1993 season, Randy Johnson set a club record with 308 strikeouts...
, he was the Mariners' starting catcher. He had his best season in 1993, hitting for a .258 batting average with 13 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 and 63 runs batted in. He also led American League catchers in 1993 with 881 putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s, 57 baserunners caught stealing
Caught stealing
In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt...
, a 7.05 range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
, finished second to Mike Stanley
Mike Stanley
Robert Michael "Mike" Stanley is a former American college and professional baseball player who was a catcher in Major League Baseball for fifteen years...
with a .995 fielding percentage, and finished third in assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
behind Pat Borders
Pat Borders
Patrick Lance Borders is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who is best remembered for being the Most Valuable Player in the 1992 World Series. Borders also won an Olympic Games gold medal with the United States' baseball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney...
and Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...
. Valle also caught a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
pitched by Chris Bosio
Chris Bosio
Christopher Louis Bosio is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners from to and a current major league pitching coach...
on April 22, 1993.
Valle became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
after the season and signed a contract to play for the Boston Red Sox
1993 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing fifth in the American League East with a record of 80 wins and 82 losses.-Offseason:...
, who traded him later that same year to the Milwaukee Brewers
1993 Milwaukee Brewers season
The Milwaukee Brewers' 1993 season involved the Brewers' finishing 7th in the American League East with a record of 69 wins and 93 losses.-Offseason:* November 17, 1992: Dante Bichette was traded by the Brewers to the Colorado Rockies for Kevin Reimer....
. He then signed with the Texas Rangers in 1995
1995 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers 1995 season involved the Rangers finishing third in the American League west with a record of 74 wins and 70 losses.-Offseason:...
, serving as a reserve catcher to Iván Rodríguez, before retiring after the 1996
1996 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers 1996 season involved the Rangers finishing 1st in the American League west with a record of 90 wins and 72 losses. It would be the first post-season appearance for the Rangers in franchise history....
season.
Career statistics
In a 13 year career, Valle played in 970 gamesGames played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, accumulating 658 hits
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....
in 2775 at bats for a .237 career batting average along with 77 home runs and 350 runs batted in. While he was a light-hitting player, Valle was a good defensive catcher, ending his career with a .992 fielding percentage.
Broadcasting career
Valle was a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for Seattle Mariners television and radio broadcasts from 1997 through 2006. Since 2007, he has co-hosted the postgame show on the Mariners' radio network. In 2009, he became one of the analysts on the MLB Network
MLB Network
MLB Network is an American television specialty channel dedicated to professional baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share...
's MLB tonight show. In 2011, he returned to the Mariners radio network to call games on a part-time basis.
Esperanza
Esperanza was founded in 1995 by Valle and his wife Victoria. It is a Christian integral development organization focused on serving the most impoverished families in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
.