Position | Third Base
Bats/Throws | Right/Right
Born | September 19, 1984 (Boca Raton, Florida)
School | University of Miami
Height | 6'2''
Weight | 200 lbs.
2008 Ranking | 16
Breakdown
The Twins drafted Danny Valencia in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. After a very successful college career at the University of Miami, Valencia has carried his success into the Twins system and has performed well at every level he has played at. Despite playing solid defense at a position of need and outhitting most of the players in the system, the Twins have been slow to promote him. There are reports about whether or not he is ready for the jump as some have described him as a player that needs to "mature a bit", but nonetheless the Twins have had a hole at third base and sure could use a player of Valencia's caliber in their lineup. Valencia doesn't have a great eye at the plate, but he makes up for it with a .305/.361/.485 hitting line that includes solid power and good run production. The Twins currently seem very committed to allowing Luke Hughes establish himself at third base in Rochester, so Valencia probably won't get a call up to the Red Wings until sometime around mid-season. Valencia could really prove people wrong this Spring and could force the Twins to promote him, but at this point the majority believe he'll be in New Britain for the beginning of the 2009 season.
2008 Statistics
Level G PA AVG OBP SLG XBH HR RBIA+ 60 251 .336 .402 .518 27 5 44
AA 69 287 .289 .334 .485 30 10 32
2009 Outlook
Despite having a good half-season in New Britain, I find it unlikely that the Twins will move him up to Rochester until sometime around mid-season. A strong Spring Training could alter all of these plans.
Video
Estimated Time of Arrival
2009
0 comments:
Post a Comment