George Valera

George Valera
Valera in 2023
Cleveland Guardians – No. 76
Outfielder
Born: (2000-11-13) November 13, 2000 (age 24) Queens, New York, U.S.
Bats: Left Throws: Left

George Valera (born November 13, 2000) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Career

Valera was born in Queens, New York and moved to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic with his family when he was 13.[1] He signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent on July 2, 2017.[2]

Valera made his professional debut with the rookie–level Arizona League Indians in 2018, batting .333 over six games.[3] He started 2019 with the Low–A Mahoning Valley Scrappers and was promoted to the Single–A Lake County Captains near the season's end.[4] Over 52 games between both affiliates, he batted .217 with eight home runs and 32 RBI.[5] Valera did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Valera split the 2021 season between Lake County and the Double–A Akron RubberDucks, slashing .260/.405/.505 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, and 11 stolen bases over 86 games.[7][8]

The newly named Cleveland Guardians selected Valera to their 40-man roster on November 19, 2021, in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[9] In 132 games split between Akron and the Triple–A Columbus Clippers in 2022, he slashed .250/.353/.463 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI.

Valera was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to begin the 2023 season.[10] In 73 games for the Clippers, he batted .211/.343/.375 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. Valera was again optioned to Triple–A Columbus to begin the 2024 season.[11] In 90 games for Columbus, he slashed .248/.337/.452 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI. On September 16, 2024, it was announced that Valera would undergo season–ending surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee.[12] Valera was designated for assignment by Cleveland on November 19.[13] On November 22, the Guardians non-tendered Valera, making him a free agent.[14]

On November 25, 2024, Valera re–signed with the Guardians on a minor league contract that included an invitation to major league spring training.[15]

References

1. Mitchell, Bill. "George Valera Is Growing Into His Own At Only 17". www.baseballamerica.com.
2. "Indians' George Valera: Cleveland signs toolsy outfield prospect". CBSSports.com.
3. "Top prospect finds home in Indians system". mlb.com.
4. "Life on the move | vindy.com". www.vindy.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-29.
5. "No. 4 George Valera, OF: Cleveland Indians top prospects right now". April 7, 2020.
6. "George Valera Accelerates His Development".
7. "Counting the minutes until George Valera makes his Guardians debut: Podcast". December 8, 2021.
8. "No. 2 prospect George Valera makes instant impression with Rubber Ducks". Beaconjournal.com. 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
9. "Guardians Announce Series Of 40-man Roster Moves". CleGuardians.com. November 19, 2021.
10. "Guardians' George Valera: Sent down to Triple-A camp". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
11. "Guardians' George Valera: Sent down to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
12. "Guardians' George Valera To Undergo Patellar Tendon Surgery". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
13. "Guardians Designate Three Players For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
14. "Guardians Avoid Arbitration With Veteran Righty, Non-Tender 2 Players". guardiansnation.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
15. "Guardians Re-Sign George Valera To Minor League Deal". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved November 25, 2024.

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)