John Valentin
John Valentin | |
---|---|
Shortstop / Third baseman | |
Born: Mineola, New York, U.S. | February 18, 1967|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
July 27, 1992, for the Boston Red Sox | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 29, 2002, for the New York Mets | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .279 |
Home runs | 124 |
Runs batted in | 558 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
John William Valentin (born February 18, 1967) is an American former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1992 to 2001, and spent a final season with the New York Mets in 2002. He later became a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Amateur career
Raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Valentin attended St. Anthony High School, where he played baseball and basketball. He was teammates on the basketball team with David Rivers.[1]
Valentin attended
Professional career
Valentin made his MLB debut as the starting shortstop against the Texas Rangers on July 27, 1992. He had one hit in four at-bats in his debut, with his first hit coming on an RBI single to short in the bottom of the 8th inning off of the Rangers Terry Mathews. He hit his first home run on August 22, 1992, off of Mike Schooler of the Seattle Mariners.
On July 8, 1994, Valentin turned the 10th unassisted triple play in MLB history, in a game against the Mariners.[a] Playing shortstop in the 6th inning, Valentin caught Marc Newfield's line drive, tagged second base before Mike Blowers could return to tag up, and tagged out Keith Mitchell who had been attempting to advance to second base.[3]
His best season was 1995, when he batted .298 with 27 home runs, 37
On June 6, 1996, he hit for the cycle. During the 1996 season, Red Sox prospect Nomar Garciaparra battled for the spot of shortstop with Valentin, who had held the position for his entire career. Garciaparra took over the shortstop position in 1997, forcing Valentin to second base. Later that season, he shifted to third base after the regular third baseman, Tim Naehring, was injured. Valentin spent four more seasons with the Red Sox (playing only a total of 30 games over his last two years in a Red Sox uniform, the 2000 and 2001 seasons)
He signed with the New York Mets as a free agent after the 2001 season and played in 114 games for them in 2002.
In 11 seasons with the Red Sox and Mets, Valentin had a .279 batting average, and accumulated a total of 1093 hits. He hit 124 career home runs, and had 558 runs batted in.
Valentin is the only Major League player to have pulled off an unassisted triple play, hit for the cycle and hit three home runs in a game.[4]
Post-playing days
In January 2008, Valentin joined the
Valentin has been a resident of Holmdel Township, New Jersey.[8] He owned the now-closed Julia's Restaurant in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
Notes
- ^ This game was also notable for being the major league debut of Alex Rodriguez.
Sources
- Grossman, Leigh (compiler). The Red Sox Fan Handbook. Pomfret, Connecticut: Swordsmith Books. ISBN 1-931013-03-9. Pgs. 180–181.
- Stout, Glenn and Johnson, Richard A. Red Sox Century. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-88417-9. Pg. 432.
References
- ^ Horgan, Sean (March 15, 1992). "Valentin Knows what to Do in Short Time He's Given". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ^ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox 4, Seattle Mariners 3". Retrosheet. July 8, 1994. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ISBN 978-1578603442..
- ^ ie66ers.com: "66ers Staff Set For 2008" Archived 2008-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Dodgers Announce 2013 Coaching Staff". MLB.com (Press release). November 13, 2012.
- ^ Great Lakes Loons (January 14, 2016). "Dodgers Finalize 2016 Loons Staff". milb.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ Feuer, Alan. "He's a Team Player. Just Ask His Neighbors.", The New York Times, March 28, 1999. Accessed March 15, 2011. "By all accounts, Mr. Valentin, who has an unpublished number in Holmdel and is now working out with the Red Sox in preparation for the baseball season, was a pleasure to deal with, Mrs. Flinn and others said."
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet