Wilson Antonio Valdez (born May 20, 1978) is a Dominican 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 ...

. He played for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

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

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

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

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

, and

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 ...

, the

Kia Tigers The Kia Tigers () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are members of the KBO League and are the most successful ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

, and the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

from 2004 to 2012.

Playing career

Early career

Valdez was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

on February 4,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

. He played on the Expos' Dominican League teams from 1997- and then on various minor league Single-A teams for the Expos through . On March 29, 2002, 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 ...

claimed Valdez off waivers and sent him to the Marlins' Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

. He continued in the Marlins organization in , playing with their Double-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

and their Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

Chicago White Sox

On June 17, 2004, while hitting .319 for Albuquerque, he was traded by the Marlins with cash to the

in exchange for reliever

Billy Koch William Christopher Koch (born December 14, 1974) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was born in Rockville Centre, New York and went to West Babylon High School. He debuted in the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays a ...

. The White Sox promptly assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in

Charlotte Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

where he

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

.302 and earned his first major-league call-up in September of to the White Sox. On September 26, 2004, he hit his first career home run off Brian Anderson. In limited action he hit .233 for the Sox.

Seattle Mariners to San Diego Padres

After the season, he was waived by the White Sox and claimed by the

. He started the season as the starting

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

for the Mariners. However, he hit only .198 and was traded to the

on June 9, 2005. After a stint with the Padres' Triple-A team in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, he returned to the major leagues with the Padres, hitting .231 in August as a

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

After the 2005 season, he was released by the Padres and signed to a minor league contract by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, who promptly traded him to the

during

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. On April 29, 2007, he scored the game-winning run in a game against the

that lasted 17 innings. He spent the season with the Dodgers' Triple-A team, the Las Vegas 51s, where he hit .297 and stole 26 bases.

Japan

In , a spring-training injury to the Dodgers' starting shortstop

Rafael Furcal Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Miami Marlins. With St. Louis, h ...

created an opening-day roster spot for Valdez and he got plenty of playing time early for the Dodgers. After a quick start, however, he quickly cooled and was returned to the 51s. On January 3, 2008, Valdez's contract was sold to the

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

. On June 9, he signed with the

of Japan's

New York Mets

In December 2008, Valdez signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. On May 26, 2009, he was traded to the

and was added to the major league roster. On June 22, 2009, he was designated for assignment.

Philadelphia Phillies

On November 25, 2009, Valdez signed a minor league contract with the

and was optioned to the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

. The Phillies selected his contract from the minors on April 14, 2010, as a reserve infielder, when

Jimmy Rollins James Calvin Rollins (born November 27, 1978), nicknamed "J-Roll", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and Chicago White S ...

went on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

. When backup

Juan Castro Juan Gabriel Castro (born June 20, 1972), is a Mexican professional baseball coach and former infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Philade ...

was injured, Valdez became the Phillies' starting shortstop for a few weeks in the beginning of the season. On May 17, Rollins was activated from the disabled list (DL) and the Phillies designated Valdez for assignment, but re-activated him five days later when Rollins returned to the DL. In addition to playing shortstop, Valdez filled in at second base for

Chase Utley Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. ...

while he was on the disabled list with a hand injury. On July 29, in a game against 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 ...

, Valdez hit a one-out, walk-off single to score

Cody Ransom Bryan Cody Ransom (born February 17, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility infielder. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Sa ...

from second base and give the Phillies a 3-2 win. In 2010, Valdez set career highs in games, at bats, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, bases on balls, intentional base on balls, strike outs, stolen bases, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). In a game started against the

on May 25, 2011, (which did not conclude until May 26), Valdez switched from second base to pitcher in the 19th inning, pitching one inning and allowing no runs. This was the first time he had ever pitched in a major league game. When the Phillies won in the bottom of the 19th inning, he was credited with the win. Valdez thus became the first position player to earn a win since catcher

Brent Mayne Brent Danem Mayne (born April 19, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1990 to 2004 for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants ...

won a game 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 ...

in 2000, and just the second since 1968. According to

Elias Sports Bureau The Elias Sports Bureau is an American privately-held sports data company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 1913, Elias is considere ...

, Valdez was the first player to start a game in the field and end up as the winning pitcher since

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

did so on October 1, . The next and thus far most recent position player to record a win was Chris Davis, who did so in the 2012 season, although he did not start in the field, having been the starting

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

instead.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 25, 2012, Valdez was traded to the

in exchange for left handed pitcher Jeremy Horst. In 77 games with the Reds, Valdez hit .206/.236/.227 with 15 RBI and 3 stolen bases. He made 44 starts, 27 at shortstop. On November 8, Valdez elected free agency.

San Francisco Giants

He signed a minor league contract with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

in December 2012.

Miami Marlins

On March 23, 2013, he signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

with an invitation to spring training.

Camden Riversharks

On May 25, 2013, he signed a contract with the

Camden Riversharks The Camden Riversharks were an United States, American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey, from 2001 to 2015. They were a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, then unaffiliated with ...

of the

Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

York Revolution

On February 21, 2014, he signed a contract with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Basebal ...

of the

. He became a free agent after the 2015 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Wilson 1978 births Albuquerque Isotopes players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Camden Riversharks players Cape Fear Crocs players Carolina Mudcats players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Clinton LumberKings players Columbus Clippers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gigantes del Cibao players Gulf Coast Expos players Jupiter Hammerheads players KBO League infielders Kia Tigers players Las Vegas 51s players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Living people Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Nippon Professional Baseball infielders People from Nizao Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Portland Sea Dogs players San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Tigres del Licey players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Vermont Expos players York Revolution players

Playing career

Early career

Chicago White Sox

Seattle Mariners to San Diego Padres

Los Angeles Dodgers

Japan

New York Mets

Philadelphia Phillies

Cincinnati Reds

San Francisco Giants

Miami Marlins

Camden Riversharks

York Revolution

References

Further reading

External links