Christopher Andrew Valaika (born August 14, 1985) is a former 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 ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

and the current

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the

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

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). He played for the Reds,

Miami 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, and

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

. He was formerly an assistant hitting coach for the Cubs.

Early life and education

Valaika was born on August 14, 1985, in Santa Monica, California, to Jeffrey and Ilona Valaika. He is the oldest son of five children. Valaika is an American of Lithuanian descent. Valaika attended Hart High School in Santa Clarita, California, and attended college at the

University of California-Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

. He was a member of the U.S. National Team, and won the silver medal at the U-18 Pan Am Cup in Curacao-

Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...

and the gold medal at the 2004

World University Baseball Championship The World University Baseball Championship is an under-23 international college baseball competition sponsored by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and was first held in 2002 in Italy. Until 2013, it was sanctioned by the then- ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Playing career

Cincinnati Reds

The

drafted Valaika in the third round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, and he started his pro career with the rookie–level

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Deh ...

. Chris hit .324 with 22 doubles and eight home runs with the Mustangs, and led the Pioneer League in total bases (143)and hits (89); was second in runs scored (58), RBI (60), and games played (70); and third in extra-base hits (34) and at-bats (275). He compiled a Pioneer League record 32-game hit streak, the longest in the Minor Leagues in 2006. Valaika started 2007 with the Low–A

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

, where he had two 11-game hit streaks. He was the Reds' Minor League player of the month for April. His play earned him the starting shortstop for the East Division in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

All-Star game and a spot on the postseason All-Star team. He was promoted to High–A

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...

on July 4, where he batted .253 with two home runs and 23 RBI in 57 games. Chris Valaika 2009

Valaika spent 2008 with Sarasota and the Double–A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

. In a combined 129 games, he batted .317 with 18 home runs, 82 RBI, and nine stolen bases. He led all Reds minor leaguers in average and was second in RBI. His performance again earned him the Reds' Minor League Player of the Month for April. He played for the U.S. in the 2008

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

, and was a mid-season

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

All-Star. He had an 18-game hit streak, which was the second longest in the Southern League. Valaika received the

Chief Bender Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (; May 5, 1884There is uncertainty about Bender's birth-date. He was voted the SABR "Centennial Celebrity" of 1983, as the best baseball player or figure born in 1883. However, the SABR ''Baseball Research Journal'' ...

Award for Reds' Minor League Player of the Year in 2008. He played for the

Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona, that competes in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the S ...

in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

, where he batted .311 with two doubles, a triple, seven home runs, and 16 RBI in 32 games. On November 20, 2009, the Reds added Valaika to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 Draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Valaika made his Major League debut on August 24, 2010. In his first career at-bat, Valaika got his first Major League hit - a single off of Santiago Casilla - on the first pitch he saw. Valaika was also called up for a brief stint with the Reds in 2011 to fill in for the injured

Scott Rolen Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds from ...

Miami Marlins

In 2013, Valaika was one of several

players verbally assaulted by

Tino Martinez Constantino "Tino" Martinez (born December 7, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 199 ...

, resulting in Martinez's resignation. With 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), ...

, he hit .235, with 7 doubles, 4 homers, 15 RBI, and 1 stolen base. Before his wrist injury, he played 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, and shortstop for the Marlins. He hit .219, with 5 doubles, 1 homer, 9 RBI, and no stolen bases when he was up with the Marlins. He became a free agent on October 1, 2013.

Chicago Cubs

On November 17, 2013, Valaika agreed to a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training with the Chicago Cubs. Valaika would add depth to third base with minor-league invitee

Mat Gamel Mathew Lawrence Gamel (born July 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers across the 2008 through 2012 seasons. Once considered among the best prospect (spor ...

. On August 1, 2014, Valaika was called up to the Cubs in the wake of the team trading

Emilio Bonifacio Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (disambiguation) Emílio is a variant of the given names Emil, Emi ...

and James Russell to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. On August 20, 2014, Valaika hit his first home run as a member of the Chicago Cubs. After the season, he was outrighted off the roster. He re-signed with the Cubs after the season.

Coaching career

Cleveland Guardians

On November 4, 2021, the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

hired Valaika to serve as their hitting coach, replacing Ty Van Burkleo.

Cincinnati Reds

On October 24, 2024, Valaika was hired to serve as the hitting coach for the

Personal life

Valaika's younger brother,

Pat Valaika Patrick Ryne Valaika (born September 9, 1992) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles. Playing career Amateur career Valaika attended William ...

, played for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

and

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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valaika, Chris 1985 births Living people Arizona League Reds players Baseball players from Santa Clarita, California Billings Mustangs players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Guardians coaches Dayton Dragons players Iowa Cubs players Jupiter Hammerheads players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball hitting coaches Miami Marlins players New Orleans Zephyrs players North Shore Honu players Peoria Javelinas players Sarasota Reds players UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball players William S. Hart High School alumni