José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 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 t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

who played 12 seasons 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 (A ...

(MLB) for 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 ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

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 ...

, and

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 lea ...

. He is nicknamed "Papa Grande."

Career

Arizona Diamondbacks

2003

Valverde made his Major League Baseball debut in 2003 to help out when

closer Matt Mantei was injured. He was named the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

Player of the Week on June 23, 2003. For the season, he finished with 10 saves in 54 appearances. His ERA finished at 2.15 with 71 strikeouts in 50.1 innings pitched. In September 2003 Valverde hit a double on the first pitch that he faced in the major leagues, thrown by

Leo Estrella Leoncio Estrella (born February 20, 1975) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (), Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. T ...

. He then scored on an RBI single from Steve Finley. In the rest of his career he would bat only once more, striking out in 2008.

2004

Injured for most of the 2004 season, Valverde only managed to appear in 29 games.

2005

He gained the Diamondbacks closer role after replacing

Brian Bruney Brian Anthony Bruney (born February 17, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and Chicago White Sox. He won the 20 ...

in 2005. He ended the season with a 2.44 ERA and 15 saves in 61 games.

2006

Valverde had some troubles in June 2006, and management sent him to the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate, the

Tucson Sidewinders , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. He returned to the closer role in early September and pitched well in his return. Valverde finished the 2006 season with a record of two wins, three losses, an ERA of 5.84 and 18 saves.

2007

On June 23, 2007, Valverde passed

Matt Mantei Matthew Bruce Mantei AN-tie(born July 7, 1973) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. In his career, Mantei played with the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox. He batted and threw right-handed. Career M ...

as the Diamondbacks all-time saves leader, with his 75th, a perfect ninth against 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 ...

. Valverde made the

2007 MLB All-Star Game The 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 78th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2007 ...

as a closer for Arizona. Until he was traded during the 2007 offseason, Valverde was the Diamondbacks closer, and led all of Major League Baseball in saves (47) during the 2007 regular season. On September 25, 2007, Valverde was named as one of 10 finalists for the

Delivery Man of the Year Award Major League Baseball (MLB) annually honored its best relief pitcher with the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award from 2005 through 2013. It was initially part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and package delivery company DH ...

Houston Astros

On December 14, 2007, Valverde was traded to the Houston Astros for

s Chad Qualls, Juan Gutiérrez and IF/OF Chris Burke.

2008

He finished his first year in Houston with 44 saves in 51 chances, a 6–4 record, 83

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...

s, and an ERA of 3.38. He led the NL in saves for the second straight year and was second in the majors in saves for 2008. When Valverde entered into the game, his walk up song was " Ladies and Gentlemen", by the band

Saliva Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can ...

2009

In 2009, Valverde saved just 25 games as he was hampered by an injury throughout the season. Following the 2009 season, Valverde filed for free agency, rejecting the Astros' offer of salary arbitration.

Detroit Tigers

2010

On January 19, 2010, Valverde signed a two-year, $14 million contract, with a third year team option for $9 million with the

. Through the first half of the season he had an ERA of 0.94 and had scoreless streak of 24 innings, which is longest in Tigers history passing Todd Jones who previously held the record at 22 innings in 2000. Valverde represented the Tigers at the 2010 All-Star Game along with Justin Verlander and

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...

. Following the All-Star break, he suffered some nagging injuries, finishing the year with 26 saves and a 3.00 ERA.

2011

On May 8, 2011, Valverde recorded his 200th career save. Valverde was elected to his third

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

, and American League manager

Ron Washington Ronald Louis Washington (born April 29, 1952) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Houston Astros. W ...

selected Valverde to serve as the team's closer. On September 11, 2011, Valverde recorded his 43rd save of the season, passing Todd Jones as the Tigers' single-season saves leader. His 45th save of the season on September 16 secured the

AL Central The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all loc ...

Division title for the Tigers. On the final day of the regular season he recorded his 49th straight save, completing his perfect regular season. It was his 51st consecutive save opportunity converted since 2010. He won the 2011 Delivery Man of the Year Award and the American League

Rolaids Relief Man Award The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season, one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL). Relief pitchers enter t ...

as the most outstanding relief pitcher of the regular season. In 2011, he led AL pitchers in saves, games (75), and games finished (70). Through 2011, he was sixth among all active pitchers in career saves (242). He recorded two saves in the

2011 ALDS The 2011 American League Division Series (abbreviated ALDS) were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 American League Championship ...

, the second of which sent the Tigers to the

2011 ALCS The 2011 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a best-of-seven playoff that pitted the winners of the 2011 American League Division Series (the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers), against each other for the American League. The Rangers ...

. He recorded one save in the Tigers' two ALCS wins. Valverde finished fifth in the 2011 AL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Ha ...

voting, which was won by teammate Justin Verlander.

2012

On October 28, 2011 the Tigers picked up the 2012 club option on Valverde's contract. On

opening day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

, his consecutive save streak ended after blowing a 2–0 lead versus the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, although he earned the win after the Tigers won, 3–2. Valverde finished the 2012 season with 35 saves and a 3.78 ERA, his highest since the 2006 season. His

strikeouts per 9 innings pitched In baseball statistics, strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9, SO/9, or SO/9IP) is the mean of strikeouts (or Ks) by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by multiplying the number of strikeouts by nine, and dividing by the nu ...

rate was a career-low 6.3. On October 10, 2012, Valverde blew a save against the

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 t ...

in Game 4 of the 2012 ALDS. The Tigers held a 3–1 lead entering the bottom of the ninth when Valverde entered the game. He gave up three consecutive hits before recording an out in a game the A's eventually won, 4–3. On October 13, 2012, Valverde blew a 4-0 lead against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

in the bottom of the ninth in Game 1 of the

2012 ALCS The 2012 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the New York Yankees against the Detroit Tigers for the American League pennant and the right to play in the 2012 World Series. The series, the 43rd in league histo ...

by allowing a pair of two-run home runs, one by

Ichiro Suzuki , also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. He played nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he began hi ...

and the other by

Raúl Ibañez Raúl Javier Ibañez (; born June 2, 1972) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) now serving as Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations for MLB. He played 11 of his 19 big league seaso ...

. Although the Tigers won 6–4 in twelve innings, Phil Coke replaced Valverde as the Tigers' closer for the remainder of the postseason. On October 30, 2012, Valverde became a

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 i ...

2013

On April 4, 2013, The Tigers signed Valverde to a minor league contract. He pitched in 3 games in Class-A for the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. H ...

. On April 23, the Tigers called him up to the Majors, which necessitated signing him to a new Major League contract. He recorded a save in his first game back with the Tigers on April 24. On May 31, 2013, Valverde gave up a walk-off home run from

player Chris Dickerson. This gave him his first loss of the season. Valverde played his last game with the Tigers on June 19, 2013, giving up 4 earned runs in 10 pitches against the Baltimore Orioles. Valverde was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on June 21, 2013. After clearing waivers, Valverde was outrighted from the 40-man roster and accepted the assignment to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. Valverde was released on August 7, 2013. After saving 75 games in his first 78 save opportunities with the Tigers, Valverde was 44 for 52 over his last two seasons with the team. Despite fans souring on him in late 2012 and into 2013, he left the Tigers having established the best save conversion percentage (119-for-130, 91.5%) of any closer in team history.

New York Mets

2014

On February 12, 2014, Valverde signed a minor league deal with an invite to Spring training with the

. He was added to the Mets 40-man roster on March 26. On May 26, 2014, Valverde allowed 4 earned runs, blowing a 2-1 lead over the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and earning his first loss of the season. Immediately after the game ended, Valverde was released by the Mets.

San Diego Padres

On January 10, 2015, Valverde signed a minor league contract with 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 penn ...

, and was released on April 2.

Washington Nationals

On April 29, 2015, Valverde signed a minor league contract with 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 July 22, 2015, Valverde was released by the Nationals. He recorded 10 saves with the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, the AAA affiliate of the Nationals. On August 14, 2015, Valverde was suspended 80 games for a violation of the MLB drug policy, having tested positive for

stanozolol Stanozolol ( abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceutical company W ...

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On April 10, 2017, Valverde signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes 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 t ...

. He was released on February 9, 2018. He re-signed with the Rieleros on January 25, 2019, after spending 2018 out of the league due to injuries. Valverde was later released again on July 11, 2019. As his last MLB appearance was in 2014, Valverde was one of the players selected to appear on the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Pitching style

Valverde throws just two pitches, a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

(93–96 mph) and a

forkball The forkball is a type of pitch in baseball. Related to the split-finger fastball, the forkball is held between the first two fingers and thrown hard, snapping the wrist. The forkball differs from the split-fingered fastball, however, in th ...

(84–87). He throws a slightly higher percentage of forkballs to left-handed hitters. He is comfortable using the pitch in almost all counts, although he throws it most often when it is 0–2 or 1–2. Valverde's control is sometimes spotty, as he has an above average career rate of 3.9 walks per nine innings. This balances a dominating 10.3

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

per nine innings ratio. Valverde is also known for his energetic, highly emotional style on the mound. He frequently celebrates outs and saves very demonstratively. Some have questioned the sportsmanship of his behavior, including former teammate Miguel Montero of the

who has called him "unprofessional".Jose Valverde rips Miguel Montero, blasts Diamondbacks
''Arizona Now'' June 20, 2010

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valverde, Jose 1978 births Living people American League All-Stars American League saves champions Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Cañeros de Los Mochis players Corpus Christi Hooks players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States El Paso Diablos players Estrellas Orientales players Houston Astros players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Mexican League baseball pitchers Missoula Osprey players National League All-Stars National League saves champions New York Mets players Sportspeople from San Pedro de Macorís Rieleros de Aguascalientes players South Bend Silver Hawks players Syracuse Chiefs players Toledo Mud Hens players Toros del Este players Tucson Sidewinders players Indios de Mayagüez players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico