Danny Valencia

[William Malone]

Daniel Paul Valencia was born on September 19, 1984 in Miami, Florida.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round 19 of the 2006 MLB Draft. He blossomed into one of their best prospects. His name was brought up in several trade rumors around the deadline in 2009. Minnesota was ultimately able to hang onto Valencia, acquiring veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Oakland Athletics for 2008 second round pick Tyler Ladendorf.

Valencia began 2010 as the Twins sixth ranked prospect, according to Baseball America. He was called-up in early June, and quickly established himself as the everyday third baseman. His first Major League hit was a single against Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, and his first big league home run was a grand slam against reigning AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals. This made him the first player in Twins history to hit a grand slam as his first career home run. Valencia was 28-for-71 (.394) with runners in scoring position as a rookie, which included a second grand slam later in the year. He finished third place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, batting .311 with 40 RBI over 85 games. Valencia was 2-for-9 with a double and two RBI during the 2010 ALDS.

He hit .246 in 2011, leading a last place Twins team with 72 RBI. His 28 doubles and 15 home runs were both second on the team, trailing Michael Cuddyer in those categories. Valencia did hit .309 against left handed pitchers, but his season was hampered by struggles against righties. A terrible start in 2012 allowed Trevor Plouffe to take over as the everyday third baseman. Valencia was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the deadline.

The rest of his career was spent as a platoon utility man, with Valencia eventually adding first base and corner outfield to his defensive repertoire. He played for the Red Sox (2012), Baltimore Orioles (2013 and 2018), Royals (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2014-15), Oakland Athletics (2015-16) and Mariners (2017). Valenica finished his career with an .864 OPS against lefties, compared to a .679 OPS against righties.

Despite not playing professionally since 2018, Valencia has been a frequent member of Team Isreal in various international competitions. He played for them in the 2019 European Championships, the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament, the 2020 Olympics (played in 2021 due to COVID-19), and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Valencia homered against Twins prospect Joe Ryan during the 2020 Olympics.

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