César Miguel Valdez (born March 17, 1985) is a Dominican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team plays its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in 1957 ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, and

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

, and in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

Lamigo Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly known as La New Bears (2004–2010) and Lamigo Monkeys (2011–2019), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administered by the Japanese technol ...

Career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Valdez signed with the

on May 2, 2005, as an international free agent. He made his professional debut with the Low-A

Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season ...

in 2006, posting a 7–5 record and 3.15 ERA in 16 games. In 2007, Valdez played for the Single-A

South Bend Silver Hawks South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

, recording a 7–10 record and 3.41 ERA in 25 appearances. The following year, Valdez split the season between the High-A

Visalia Oaks Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-most populous city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 38th most populous in California, and 183 ...

and the Double-A

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, accumulating a 13–8 record and 3.14 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 160.1 innings of work. For the 2009 season, Valdez played for the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

, registering a 7–6 record and 4.78 ERA in 19 appearances. He was assigned to Reno to begin the 2010 season. Valdez was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on May 3, 2010, and made his

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

debut later that day, pitching 5.0 innings of 1-run ball against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

. Valdez was designated for assignment on September 13, after recording a 5.90 ERA in 20 games in Reno and a 1-2 record, 7.65

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

, and 13

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

in 20.0

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

across 9 big league games with the Diamondbacks. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Reno on September 16.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 9, 2010, Valdez was traded to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

as the

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

(PTBNL) in a previous trade for

Zach Duke Zachary Thomas Duke (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, St. Lo ...

. He began the 2011 season with the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, logging a 3.86 ERA in 34 appearances.

Florida Marlins

On July 5, 2011, Valdez was traded to the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

organization for a PTBNL or cash considerations. He played in 8 games for the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate, the

New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

, and recorded a 7.59 ERA with 13 strikeouts.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 28, 2011, Valdez was traded to the

organization and assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, but was released the following day without appearing in a game for the organization. During the offseason, Valdez played for the

Águilas del Zulia The Águilas del Zulia () is a Venezuelan professional baseball team based in Maracaibo which plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. History The team was founded in 1969 and debuted in the 1969–70 season. The franchise began in 19 ...

of the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

and the Gigantes de Carolina of the

Puerto Rican Winter League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Oriental Mi ...

Vaqueros Laguna

On March 14, 2012, Valdez joined the

Vaqueros Laguna The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

of the

. He made 24 appearances and pitched to an 11–8 record, 5.27 ERA, and 84 strikeouts in 135 total innings. In the offseason, he returned to the Águilas del Zulia and later made five relief appearances for the

Tigres del Licey Tigres del Licey (English: Licey Tigers) is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM). The team was founded in 1907 and is based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Tigres is the oldest team in LIDOM and ...

of the

Dominican Professional Baseball League The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League ( or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Repub ...

(LIDOM). In 2013, Valdez returned to the Vaqueros Laguna, making 12 starts and logging a 4.93 ERA before being released on May 30.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On June 22, 2013, Valdez signed with the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team based in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes that competes in the Mexican League. Established in 1975, the Rieleros have won the Mexican League cha ...

of the

. Valdez was released on June 27 after making one start for the team, in which he allowed 4 runs in 4.2 innings of work. After another offseason playing in the Venezuelan and Dominican Winter Leagues, Valdez did not play regular season baseball in 2014. He made seven appearances for the

Bravos de Margarita The Bravos de Margarita (''Margarita Braves'') are a professional baseball team who plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League since the 2007-08 season. The team was founded in 1991 as the ''Petroleros de Cabimas'' (''Cabimas Oilers'') ...

during the 2014 offseason.

Olmecas de Tabasco

On February 7, 2015, Valdez signed with the

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Lea ...

of the

. In 23 starts, Valdez went 13–8 with a 2.63 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 160 innings pitched, and was named an LMB All-Star for the season. Valdez made five starts for the Tigres de Licey in the offseason.

Lamigo Monkeys

In August 2015, Valdez signed with the

of the

. Valdez made 8 appearances for Lamigo, posting a 2–3 record and 5.52 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 45.2 innings of work. Valdez won the 2015

Taiwan Series The Taiwan Series () is the final championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 a ...

with the club, and became a free agent after the season.

Houston Astros

On January 1, 2016, Valdez signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was invited to spring training. He spent the entire 2016 season with the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, and posted a 12–1 record, 3.12 ERA, and 114 strikeouts in 138 innings. Valdez elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Oakland Athletics

On November 17, 2016, Valdez signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Valdez began the 2017 season with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, and was recalled to the major leagues on April 21. After appearing in four games for Oakland with a 9.64 ERA, Valdez was designated for assignment on May 3.

Toronto Blue Jays (second stint)

On May 5, 2017, Valdez was claimed off waivers by the

and optioned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. He was recalled on May 20, and optioned back down on May 26. In July, Valdez was recalled by the Blue Jays and added to the starting rotation after Aaron Sanchez was placed on the disabled list. On July 25, Valdez earned his first MLB win in over seven years, defeating the

4–1. In 2017 he threw a changeup 49.4% of the time, tops in MLB. In 7 big league games with Toronto, he posted a 6.75 ERA. Valdez was outrighted off of the 40-man roster on November 1, 2017, and elected free agency the following day.

Olmecas de Tabasco (second stint)

On March 16, 2018, Valdez signed with the

of the

. He was released on May 1, after posting a 5.93 ERA in 7 appearances.

Leones de Yucatán

On July 29, 2018, Valdez signed with the

of the

. He finished the year with Yucatán, recording a 5–0 record and 2.48 ERA in 6 appearances. In 2019, he pitched to a 15–2 record with a 2.26 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 147.2 innings, winning the league's pitcher of the year award and being named an All-Star. On January 4, 2020, Valdez requested and was granted his release in order to pursue an opportunity with an

-affiliated organization.

Baltimore Orioles

On January 10, 2020, Valdez signed a minor-league deal with the

organization.Trezza, Joe. "Valdez baffling hitters with 'the dead fish,'" MLB.com, Sunday, September 13, 2020.
Retrieved September 13, 2020 Valdez did not play in a minor league game in 2020 following the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Valdez was promoted to the active roster when the Orioles selected his contract on August 27. He pitched three scoreless innings in relief in his first MLB appearance in three seasons in a 5–0 loss to the Blue Jays at

Sahlen Field Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park, and Coca-Cola Field. Home to the Buffalo Bisons of t ...

two nights later on August 29. He earned his first MLB save with two shutout innings in a 6–3 win over the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in the nightcap of a twi-night doubleheader at

Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a ballpark in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the Baseball park#Retro-classic ballparks, "retro" major le ...

on September 4. In 2020 for the Orioles, Valdez pitched to an excellent 1.26 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 9 appearances. Valdez started out 2021 as the Orioles closer, recording 8 saves, however, he was moved out of that role after he began to struggle. In 38 appearances in 2021 for the Orioles, Valdez posted a 5.76 ERA with 44 strikeouts. On August 20, 2021, Valdez was designated for assignment by the Orioles, and subsequently outrighted to the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

on August 22. After posting a 1.42 ERA in 9 appearances with Triple-A Norfolk, Valdez was re-selected to the 40-man roster on September 21. He was designated for assignment by Baltimore the next day after another blown save. On October 5, Valdez elected free agency.

Los Angeles Angels

On March 15, 2022, Valdez signed a minor league deal with the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

to begin the year. On May 17, 2022, Valdez was selected to the active roster. He allowed two runs on two hits while failing to strike out a batter against the Texas Rangers and was designated for assignment the next day. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on May 22. In Triple-A in 2022, he was 10–5 with a 3.94 ERA in 23 starts, and led the minor leagues in complete games with three. He elected free agency on October 6. On December 3, Valdez re–signed with the Angels on a minor league contract that included an invite to spring training. Valdez began the 2023 season with Triple-A Salt Lake, making 7 appearances (4 starts) and posting a 7.27 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 26.0 innings pitched. On May 8, 2023, he had his contract selected to the active roster. He was designated for assignment the following day without making an appearance for the team. On May 13, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A. On October 10, Valdez elected free agency.

Leones de Yucatán (second stint)

On December 28, 2023, Valdez signed with the

of the

. In 18 starts for Yucatán, he compiled a 10–6 record and 4.06 ERA with 73 strikeouts across innings pitched. His 10 wins were tied for the league lead alongside

Trevor Bauer Trevor Andrew Bauer (born January 17, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondback ...

and Juan Pablo Oramas.

Pitching style

He primarily throws a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

which he uses 81.3% of the time, tops out at 82

miles per hour Miles per hour (mph, m.p.h., MPH, or mi/h) is a British imperial and United States customary unit of speed expressing the number of miles travelled in one hour. It is used in the United Kingdom, the United States, and a number of smaller count ...

and drops 8.5 inches more than the average for that type of pitch according to

Statcast Statcast is an automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in Major League Baseball (MLB). Statcast was introduced to all thirty MLB stadiums in 2015. The Statcast brand is also licensed to ESPN, which uses it to ...

. He manipulates that changeup to function like at least five to six different pitches by alternating arm angles and grips. Orioles catcher Pedro Severino explained, "It’s not a normal changeup. I call it a slider-changeup because I don’t know where it’s going." Valdez also has a sinker at around 85-90 mph.Trezza, Joe & Adler, David. "This 1 pitch (is it 1?) makes César Valdez elite," MLB.com, Tuesday, April 27, 2021.
Retrieved April 27, 2021

References

External links