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

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in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He made his

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debut in 2010 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has also previously played in MLB for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

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, and Los Angeles Angels and in the

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(CPBL) for the

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Career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Valdez signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 2, 2005, as an international free agent. He made his professional debut with the Low-A Yakima Bears in 2006, posting a 7-5 record and 3.15 ERA in 16 games. In 2007, Valdez played for the Single-A

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, 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-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

and the Double-A Mobile BayBears, 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, 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 organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

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, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

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

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, 7.65

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, and 13 strikeouts in 20.0

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

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 (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

as the player to be named later (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 affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

, logging a 3.86 ERA in 34 appearances.

Florida Marlins

On July 5, 2011, Valdez was traded to the Florida Marlins organization for a PTBNL or cash considerations. He played in 8 games for the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate, the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, 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 ( en, Zulia Eagles) 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 fra ...

of the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

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 City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

Vaqueros Laguna

On March 14, 2012, Valdez joined the Vaqueros Laguna of the Mexican League. 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 of the Dominican Professional Baseball League (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 in the Mexican League based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. History Baseball arrived in Aguascalientes in hand with the railroad at the beginning o ...

of the Mexican League. 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 Leag ...

of the Mexican League. 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 Taiwan Series () is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). It is usually played in late October or early November, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the ''CPBL Seasonal Championship Series'' () ...

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

organizationand was invited to spring training. He spent the entire 2016 season with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, and posted a 12–1 record, 3.12 ERA, and 114 strikeouts in 138 innings. On November 7, he elected free agency.

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 Mexican League. 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 Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. 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, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. 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 the ...

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) Amer ...

in the nightcap of a twi-night doubleheader at Camden Yards 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 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 blowing a save. On October 5, Valdez elected free agency.

Los Angeles Angels

On March 15, 2022, Valdez signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. He was assigned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees 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, 2022. He resigned a minor league deal with an invite to spring major league spring training.

Pitching style

He primarily throws a changeup which he uses 81.3% of the time, tops out at 82 miles per hour and drops 8.5 inches more than the average for that type of pitch according to

Statcast Statcast is a high-speed, high-accuracy, 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, a year now considered the beginning ...

. He manipulates that changeup to function like at least five to six different pitches by alternating arm angles and grips. Orioles catcher

Pedro Severino Pedro Severino De León (born July 20, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher in the San Diego Padres organization. He previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers. Professional caree ...

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Cesar 1985 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baltimore Orioles players Bravos de Margarita players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Gigantes de Carolina players Indianapolis Indians players Leones de Yucatán players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mexican League baseball pitchers Mobile BayBears players Nashville Sounds players New Orleans Zephyrs players Oakland Athletics players Olmecas de Tabasco players Reno Aces players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Scottsdale Scorpions players South Bend Silver Hawks players Tigres del Licey players Toronto Blue Jays players Vaqueros Laguna players Visalia Oaks players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic Yakima Bears players 2017 World Baseball Classic players