Position | Third BaseBats/Throws | Right/Right
Born | September 19, 1984 (Miami, Florida)
School | University of Miami
Height | 6'2''
Weight | 210 lbs.
2009 Ranking | 3
........................(Jerry Hale/MLB.com)
Breakdown
After a successful yet short-lived two year career at the University of Miami, the Minnesota Twins felt fortunate when Danny Valencia was still available in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. Valencia signed quickly and reported to the Appalachian League and in less than four years, he's gone from being a 19th round pick to the third baseman of the future for the Twins.
With the Elizabethton Twins, Valencia hit .311/.365/.505 in 190 at-bats. He moved up to Single-A Beloit in 2007 where he hit .302/.374/.500 before being promoted to Advanced-A Ft. Myers in June. He spent the rest of the 2007 season and the first half of the 2008 season in the Florida State League where he hit .313/.367/.469 with 43 extra-base hits in 450 at-bats with the Miracle. In June of 2008, Valencia was promoted to Double-A New Britain and spent the same time there as he did in Ft. Myers. He received 484 at-bats in the Eastern League and hit .287/.353/.483 with 55 extra-base hits. In June of 2009, Valencia got one step closer to reaching the Major Leagues when he was promoted to Triple-A Rochester. He finished off the season with the Red Wings hitting .286/.305/.454 in 71 games. He got off to a great start but cooled off, enough for the Twins to not promote him when rosters expanded in September.
Valencia is a very solid prospect. He's hit .299/.354/.480 through 1,635 at-bats he's hit 176 extra-base hits and has become a doubles-hitting machine, hitting a career high 38 doubles in 2009 after hitting 37 in 2008. There's little doubt that Valencia has the tools to be a solid Major League contributor with his bat. And at this point, the only thing holding Valencia back is his defense. He struggled a lot at third base in 2009, but he's been fine there throughout his career which gives promise that he'll turn things around.
2009 Statistics
Level G PA AVG OBP SLG XBH HR wRC+AA 57 252 .284 .373 .482 25 7 134
AAA 71 282 .286 .305 .454 31 7 100
2010 Outlook
Valencia has a shot at making the Twins roster, but unless there's an injury, he'll begin the 2010 season as the starting third baseman of the Rochester Red Wings. Expect him up if the Twins infield suffers an injury or after
Video
Estimated Time of Arrival
2010
2 comments:
I have seen Punto play, I have seen Harris play, and I have seen Valencia play. Hands down - Valencia wins. The Twins would be bad business people if they did not take him up north.
Agreed. If the Twins aren't going to get a decent 3rd baseman via free agency, they need to bring Danny up north. The future is now.
Harris is nothing more than a backup. Punto is a utility man, he's not a starter, and Tolbert just needs to be outright released.
Either sign a veteran, or give the job to Danny!
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