George Valera (born November 13, 2000) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.
| George Valera | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Valera in 2023 | |
| Cleveland Guardians | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: November 13, 2000 Queens, New York, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left |
Career
editValera was born in Queens, New York and moved to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic with his family when he was 13.[1] He signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent on July 2, 2017.[2]
Valera made his professional debut with the rookie–level Arizona League Indians in 2018, batting .333 over six games.[3] He started 2019 with the Low–A Mahoning Valley Scrappers and was promoted to the Single–A Lake County Captains near the season's end.[4] Over 52 games between both affiliates, he batted .217 with eight home runs and 32 RBI.[5] Valera did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Valera split the 2021 season between Lake County and the Double–A Akron RubberDucks, slashing .260/.405/.505 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over 86 games.[7][8]
The newly named Cleveland Guardians selected Valera to their 40-man roster on November 19, 2021, in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[9] In 132 games split between Akron and the Triple–A Columbus Clippers in 2022, he slashed .250/.353/.463 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI.
Valera was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to begin the 2023 season.[10] In 73 games for the Clippers, he batted .211/.343/.375 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. Valera was again optioned to Triple–A Columbus to begin the 2024 season.[11] In 90 games for Columbus, he slashed .248/.337/.452 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI. On September 16, 2024, it was announced that Valera would undergo season–ending surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.[12] Valera was designated for assignment by Cleveland on November 19.[13] On November 22, the Guardians non-tendered Valera, making him a free agent.[14]
On November 25, 2024, Valera re–signed with the Guardians on a minor league contract that included an invitation to major league spring training.[15]
References
edit- ^ Mitchell, Bill. "George Valera Is Growing Into His Own At Only 17". www.baseballamerica.com.
- ^ "Indians' George Valera: Cleveland signs toolsy outfield prospect". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "Top prospect finds home in Indians system". mlb.com.
- ^ "Life on the move | vindy.com". www.vindy.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-29.
- ^ "No. 4 George Valera, OF: Cleveland Indians top prospects right now". April 7, 2020.
- ^ "George Valera Accelerates His Development".
- ^ "Counting the minutes until George Valera makes his Guardians debut: Podcast". December 8, 2021.
- ^ "No. 2 prospect George Valera makes instant impression with Rubber Ducks". Beaconjournal.com. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
- ^ "Guardians Announce Series Of 40-man Roster Moves". CleGuardians.com. November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Guardians' George Valera: Sent down to Triple-A camp". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ "Guardians' George Valera: Sent down to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Guardians' George Valera To Undergo Patellar Tendon Surgery". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "Guardians Designate Three Players For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ "Guardians Avoid Arbitration With Veteran Righty, Non-Tender 2 Players". guardiansnation.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Guardians Re-Sign George Valera To Minor League Deal". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)