Javier Valentín

José Javier Valentín Rosario was born on September 19, 1975 in Puerto Rico.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round three of the 1993 MLB Draft. He won the Sherry Robertson Award in 1995, which is given annually to the Twins most outstanding farm system position player. Baseball America ranked Valentín as the 58th best prospect in baseball on their 1996 pre-season list.

He debuted for the Twins as a September call-up in 1997, appearing in four games that month. Valentín came off the bench as a defensive replacement in his first three appearances, but went 2-for-5 with a run scored in his lone start. He broke camp as the primary backup catcher for Terry Steinbach in 1998, batting .198/.247/.309 in 55 games. His first Major League home run was a tiebreaking blast in the seventh inning against Bill Swift of the Seattle Mariners on April 25, 1998.

Valentín continued to backup Steinbach in 1999, showing improvements on both offense and defense. He slashed .248/.313/.381 in 78 games, hitting five home runs and driving in 28. Valentín caught 45.7% of base stealers, which was third best in the American League. This was up from a miserable 22.7% clip in 1998.

A knee injury suffered in spring training kept Valentín out to start the 2000 season. Young catchers Matthew LeCroy and A.J. Pierzynki began to play at the big league level, and the Twins suddenly didn't have room for Valentín when he was healthy. The knee injury limited him to just 34 games that season, all of them in the minors. Veteran backstop Tom Prince was signed in the ensuing off-season, only making the Minnesota catching situation even more crowded. Valentín spent the entire 2001 season in Triple-A, and saw big league action in just four games during the 2002 campaign. 

Minnesota traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers on November 15, 2002. Valentín was then traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays during spring training. He hit .222 with three home runs and 15 RBI during his lone season in Tampa Bay. The Cincinnati Reds signed him as a free agent. Valentín spent five years with the Reds, slashing .264/.326/.429 across 441 games.

The Twins brought him back as a minor league coach when his playing career was over. Valentín coached at three different minor league levels between 2015 and 2019.

• 1995 Sherry Robertson Award
  • Twins most outstanding farm system position player