Jesmuel José Valentín (born May 12, 1994), is a Puerto Rican former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

second baseman and

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

who played in

Major League Baseball 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), ...

(MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Career

Minor leagues

The

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 (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

selected Valentín in the first round of the

2012 MLB Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...

(51st overall) out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and he signed, forgoing his commitment to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

. The Dodgers assigned him to the Arizona League Dodgers to begin his professional career that year and he hit .211 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 43 games. He split 2013 between the

Great Lakes Loons The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007. Histor ...

and the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors 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 Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...

, and he hit .264 with four home runs and 29 RBIs in 95 games. He began 2014 with Great Lakes where he hit .280 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 108 games. The Dodgers traded Valentín to the Philadelphia Phillies on August 16, 2014, as a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

(along with Victor Arano) in a deal that sent Roberto Hernández to the Dodgers. The Phillies assigned him to the Clearwater Threshers where he batted .205 in 12 games. He began 2015 with Clearwater. On April 11, 2015, he was placed on the restricted list and suspended indefinitely following his arrest for a domestic violence incident. The Phillies added him to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season. After he was activated off the restricted list, he returned to Clearwater, where he spent the whole season, posting a .273 batting average with one home run and 14 RBIs in 31 games. In 2016, he spent time with both the

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

and the

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 are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

, batting .269 with nine home runs, 52 RBIs and a .736 OPS in 125 combined games between both teams. He spent 2017 with Lehigh Valley where he batted .229 in 29 games before a separated shoulder caused him to miss the remainder of the season. He began 2018 with Lehigh Valley.

Philadelphia Phillies

Valentín was promoted to the majors for the first time on April 29, 2018. He recorded his first career Major League hit on May 7 against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. He hit his first career home run and recorded his first multi-hit game on June 13 against the Colorado Rockies. Valentín made an appearance as a pitcher in during a June 15 game against the Milwaukee Brewers, surrendering three runs over one inning while recording one strikeout. He was designated for assignment on September 1, 2018. Valentín elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Baltimore Orioles

On April 11, 2019, Valentín signed with the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The next day, his contract was purchased by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...

. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Personal life

His father,

José Valentín José Antonio Valentín (born October 12, 1969) is a Puerto Rican former American Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and New York Mets (–). His ...

, and uncle, Javier Valentín played in

. His first child, a daughter named Ximena, was born on June 25, 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentin, Jesmuel 1994 births Living people Arizona League Dodgers players Bowie Baysox players Clearwater Threshers players Great Lakes Loons players Indios de Mayagüez players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Leones de Ponce players Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Ogden Raptors players People from Manatí, Puerto Rico Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Fightin Phils players