Mario Ayelar Valdez (born November 19, 1974) is a Mexican 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He played during three

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) seasons 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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. He also played one season in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Kintetsu Buffaloes The were a Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team based in Osaka, Japan, which was in the Pacific League. In 2005 the team was merged with the Orix BlueWave to become the team now known as the Orix Buffaloes. The team played in Fujiidera Stad ...

in 2004.

Career

Valdez was drafted by the White Sox in the 48th round of the 1993 amateur draft. Valdez played his first professional season with their Class A (Short Season)

Utica Blue Sox The Utica Blue Sox was the name of two minor league baseball teams based in Utica, New York. In the 2010s, the ''Utica Blue Sox'' is the name of a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) based in N ...

in 1986, and his last season with the independent Pensacola Central of the Central League, in 2004. His last affiliated season was in 2003, when he played for the

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 (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

' Triple-A unit, the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

. Valdez played with Mexican team Tomateros de Culiacan in winter ball in La Liga Mexicana del Pacifico. He debuted in 1995 with the team which won the championship the same year, also playing in 1996-1997, 2001-2002, 2003–2004 and the Caribbean Series in 1996-2002.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Mario 1974 births Algodoneros de Guasave players Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Baseball players from Sonora Birmingham Barons players Calgary Cannons players Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Mexico Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Diablos Rojos del México players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast White Sox players Hickory Crawdads players Living people Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Mexico Mexican expatriate baseball players in Canada Mexican expatriate baseball players in Japan Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican League baseball first basemen Modesto A's players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games bronze medalists for Mexico Pensacola Pelicans players Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players Salt Lake Buzz players South Bend Silver Hawks players Sultanes de Monterrey players Tomateros de Culiacán players Toros de Tijuana players Vaqueros Laguna players Venados de Mazatlán players Visalia Oaks players Yaquis de Obregón players People from Ciudad Obregón Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games