Jordany V. Valdespin (born December 23, 1987) is a Dominican

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player who is currently a free agent. He has 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

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and

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 (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. He was suspended for 50 games during the 2013

Biogenesis baseball scandal The Biogenesis scandal broke in 2013 when several Major League Baseball (MLB) players were accused of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs ("PEDs"), specifically human growth hormone, from the now-defunct rejuvenation clinic Biogenesis of America ...

Professional career

New York Mets

Valdespin began his professional career in 2007, playing for the

DSL Mets After withdrawing their affiliate from the Venezuelan Summer League, the Major League Baseball's New York Mets have had two affiliates in the Dominican Summer League since the 2010 season. The DSL Mets 1 play in the Boca Chica South division while ...

. That year, he hit .245 with one home run and 16 RBIs in 43 games. In 2008, he played for the

GCL Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games a ...

, hitting .284 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in 34 games. He split 2009 between the DSL Mets, GCL Mets,

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

and

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

, hitting a combined .298 with four home runs, 28 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 67 games. He split 2010 between the

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

and

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

, hitting a combined .272 with six home runs, 41 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 93 games. In 2011, Valdespin hit .294 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs and 37 stolen bases in the Mets minor league system. Jordany Valdespin on June 11, 2011

2012 season

On April 23, 2012 Valdespin was called up for the second game in a doubleheader versus 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 Yor ...

. In his debut Valdespin pinch hit for

Manny Acosta Manuel Alcides Acosta Molinar (born May 1, 1981) is a Panamanian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, and for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Profess ...

in the eighth inning. Valdespin started his first major league game on April 27, playing left field and batting eighth against the

. While pinch hitting on May 7, Valdespin collected his first major league hit, home run and RBI on a three-run home run against

Jonathan Papelbon Jonathan Robert Papelbon (; born November 23, 1980) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he was an All-Star in four cons ...

of the

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

to break a tie in the ninth inning. That same hit made Valdespin the first player to ever record his first hit as a home run off a player who has 200 or more career saves. On July 24, he broke a Mets franchise record by hitting his fifth pinch-hit home run of the season, off of

Ryan Mattheus Ryan Arthur Mattheus (born November 10, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Cincinnati Reds. He is a sinkerballer. ...

of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. On August 26 Valdespin was optioned to Triple-A but was recalled on September 4.

2013 season

Valdespin made the Opening Day roster for the New York Mets and was set to platoon in

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

with

Collin Cowgill Collin Brannen Cowgill (born May 22, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current major league coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Los Angeles ...

. On April 24, 2013, Valdespin hit a walk off grand slam, the first Met to do so since Kevin McReynolds hit one on June 25, 1991 against the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

. On July 15, 2013, Valdespin was sent down to the AAA Las Vegas 51s after hitting only .188 that season, leading to a confrontation with manager

Terry Collins Terry Lee Collins (born May 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball manager. He managed the Houston Astros, the Anaheim Angels and New York Mets in Major League Baseball and the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. He c ...

in which Valdespin referred to his skipper as a cocksucker before demanding to be placed on the disabled list. This followed several incidents of showboating, most recently on May 11 and 12 when he hit celebrated a home run while down four runs in one game, then was hit by a pitch during a pinch hit appearance the next day in retaliation. On August 5, 2013, Valdespin was suspended for 50 games from baseball for using performance-enhancing drugs obtained from Biogenesis. Valdespin was reinstated on September 25, 2013, and assigned to Triple-A. After the season, Valdespin was non-tendered by the Mets, making him a free agent.

Miami Marlins

On December 20, 2013 the

signed Valdespin to a minor league contract. He was called up to the Marlins on July 19, 2014. He was outrighted off the roster on October 10, 2014. He returned to the Major League roster on July 6, 2015. During the 2015 season, Valdespin hit .293 (75-for-256) with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 76 games for the Triple-A

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, ...

Detroit Tigers

On December 23, 2015, the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

signed Valdespin to a minor league contract. He elected free agency on November 7, 2016.

Leones de Yucatán

On February 2, 2017, Valdespin signed with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He was released on April 18, 2017.

Olmecas de Tabasco

On April 21, 2017, Valdespin 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

. He was released on July 5, 2017.

Long Island Ducks

On March 15, 2018, Valdespin signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...

of the independent

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

. He hit .338/.399/.487 with 12 home runs, 30 stolen bases and a league-leading 94 runs scored. He also led the league in triples (7) and hits (154). Despite coming up just short of winning the ALPB Batting Title, Valdespin was named the 2018 Independent Leagues Player of the Year by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

''.

Minnesota Twins

On January 25, 2019, Valdespin signed a minor league deal with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

. He started the 2019 season with the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

. Valdespin was released on August 9, 2019. On January 7, 2020, Valdespin signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. Valdespin did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican 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 ...

. He later became a free agent

Lexington Legends

On March 4, 2022, Valdespin signed with the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends ha ...

of the

.Atlantic League Transactions
/ref> He was released on August 9, 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdespin, Jordany 1987 births Living people Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Dominican Summer League Mets players Gulf Coast Mets players Las Vegas 51s players Leones de Yucatán players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Mesa Solar Sox players Mexican League baseball left fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Mexican League baseball second basemen Mexican League baseball third basemen Miami Marlins players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Olmecas de Tabasco players Sportspeople from San Pedro de Macorís Rochester Red Wings players Savannah Sand Gnats players St. Lucie Mets players Tigres del Licey players Toledo Mud Hens players Toros del Este players