Wilson Antonio Valdez (born May 20, 1978) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

Playing career

Early career

Valdez was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by 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 February 4,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

. He played on the Expos' Dominican League teams from 1997- and then on various minor league Single-A teams for the Expos through . On March 29, 2002, he was claimed off waivers by the

Florida 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 ...

and sent to the Marlins' Double-A team in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. He continued in the Marlins organization in , playing with their Double-A team in Carolina and their Triple-A team in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

Chicago White Sox

On June 17, 2004, while hitting .319 for Albuquerque, he was traded by the Marlins with cash to 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 ...

in exchange for reliever

Billy Koch William Christopher Koch (born December 14, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was born in Rockville Centre, New York and went to West Babylon High School. He entered the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays and last pitche ...

. The White Sox promptly assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

where he

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

.302 and earned his first major-league call-up in September of to the White Sox. On September 26, 2004, he hit his first career home run off Brian Anderson. In limited action he hit .233 for the Sox.

Seattle Mariners to San Diego Padres

After the season, he was waived by the White Sox and claimed by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. He started the season as the starting

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 who ...

for the Mariners. However, he hit only .198 and was traded to 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 ...

on June 9, 2005. After a stint with the Padres' Triple-A team in

, he returned to the major leagues with the Padres, hitting .231 in August as a

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

After the 2005 season, he was released by the Padres and signed to a minor league contract by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

, who promptly traded him to 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 ...

during

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 ...

. On April 29, 2007, he scored the game-winning run in a game against the

that lasted 17 innings. He spent the season with the Dodgers' Triple-A team, the Las Vegas 51s, where he hit .297 and stole 26 bases.

Japan

In , a spring-training injury to the Dodgers' starting shortstop

Rafael Furcal Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Miami Marlins. With St. Louis, he w ...

created an opening-day roster spot for Valdez and he got plenty of playing time early for the Dodgers. After a quick start, however, he quickly cooled and was returned to the 51s. On January 3, 2008, Valdez's contract was sold to the

Kia Tigers Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

. On June 9, he signed with the

Tokyo Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

of Japan's

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 ...

New York Mets

In December 2008, Valdez signed a minor league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. On May 26, 2009, he was traded to 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 was added to the major league roster. On June 22, 2009, he was designated for assignment.

Philadelphia Phillies

On November 25, 2009, Valdez signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

and was optioned to the Triple-A

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 ...

. The Phillies selected his contract from the minors on April 14, 2010, as a reserve infielder, when

Jimmy Rollins James Calvin Rollins (born November 27, 1978), nicknamed "J-Roll", is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and Chicago White ...

went on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. When backup

Juan Castro Juan Gabriel Castro (born June 20, 1972), is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Phillies, ...

was injured, Valdez became the Phillies' starting shortstop for a few weeks in the beginning of the season. On May 17, Rollins was activated from the disabled list (DL) and the Phillies designated Valdez for assignment, but re-activated him five days later when Rollins returned to the DL. In addition to playing shortstop, Valdez filled in at second base for

Chase Utley Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978), nicknamed "The Man" and "Silver Fox", is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. He ...

while he was on the disabled list with a hand injury. On July 29, in a game against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

, Valdez hit a one-out, walk-off single to score

Cody Ransom Bryan Cody Ransom (born February 17, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility infielder. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, ...

from second base and give the Phillies a 3-2 win. In 2010, Valdez set career highs in games, at bats, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, bases on balls, intentional base on balls, strike outs, stolen bases, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). In a game started against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on May 25, 2011, (which did not conclude until May 26), Valdez switched from second base to pitcher in the 19th inning, pitching one inning and allowing no runs. This was the first time he had ever pitched in a major league game. When the Phillies won in the bottom of the 19th inning, he was credited with the win. Valdez thus became the first position player to earn a win since catcher

Brent Mayne Brent Danem Mayne (born April 19, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1990 to 2004 for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, ...

won a game for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

in 2000, and just the second since 1968. According to

Elias Sports Bureau The Elias Sports Bureau is a privately held company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Elias is the official statistician for Major League Ba ...

, Valdez was the first player to start a game in the field and end up as the winning pitcher since

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

did so on October 1, . The next and thus far most recent position player to record a win was Chris Davis, who did so in the 2012 season, although he did not start in the field, having been the starting

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

instead.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 25, 2012, Valdez was traded to the

in exchange for left handed pitcher

Jeremy Horst Jeremy M. Horst (born October 1, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He attended Iowa Western Community College and Armstrong Atlantic State University. The Cincinnati Reds drafted him in the 21st round of the 2007 Major Lea ...

. In 77 games with the Reds, Valdez hit .206/.236/.227 with 15 RBI and 3 stolen bases. He made 44 starts, 27 at shortstop. On November 8, Valdez elected free agency.

San Francisco Giants

He signed a minor league contract with 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 December 2012.

Miami Marlins

On March 23, 2013, he signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

with an invitation to spring training.

Camden Riversharks

On May 25, 2013, he signed a contract with the

Camden Riversharks The Camden Riversharks were an American professional baseball team based in Camden, New Jersey, from 2001 to 2015. They were a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not at that time affiliat ...

of the Atlantic League.

York Revolution

On February 21, 2014, he signed a contract with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league, independent "partner lea ...

of the Atlantic League. He became a free agent after the 2015 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Wilson 1978 births Albuquerque Isotopes players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Camden Riversharks players Cape Fear Crocs players Carolina Mudcats players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Clinton LumberKings players Columbus Clippers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gigantes del Cibao players Gulf Coast Expos players Jupiter Hammerheads players KBO League infielders Kia Tigers players Las Vegas 51s players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Living people Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Nippon Professional Baseball infielders People from Nizao Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Portland Sea Dogs players San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Tigres del Licey players Tokyo Yakult Swallows players Vermont Expos players York Revolution players