César Valdez
Thumb
Image Source
User Rating
(0 users) Data Complete 70%
Born
1985 (40 years old)
Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicPosition
Pitcher
Status
Free Agent
Ethnicity
Team Number
62
Height
6' 2"
Weight
225
Outfitter
Kit
Side
Right
Wage Year
Player Cutout
Full Body Render
Sport
BaseballTeam
_Free Agent Baseball
2nd Team
League
_No League Baseball
Creative Commons Artwork
Yes
César Miguel Valdez (born March 17, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.
He made his MLB debut in 2010. He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Career
Arizona Diamondbacks
Valdez signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 2, 2005, as an international free agent.
He played at various levels of their minor league organization until 2010, when he was called up to the Majors on May 3 and made his Major League Baseball debut later that day. Valdez was designated for assignment on September 13. He made nine appearances for the Diamondbacks in 2010, and posted a 1–2 win–loss record, 7.65 earned run average (ERA), and 13 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On December 9, 2010, Valdez was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the player to be named later(PTBNL) in the trade for Zach Duke.
Florida Marlins
On July 5, 2011, he was traded to the Florida Marlins organization for a PTBNL or cash considerations.
Toronto Blue Jays
On July 28, 2011, Valdez was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays organization and assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, but released the following day. During the offseason, Valdez played for the Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League and the Gigantes de Carolina of the Puerto Rican Winter League.
Vaqueros Laguna
In 2012, Valdez joined the Vaqueros Laguna of the Mexican League. He made 24 appearances and pitched to an 11–8 record, 5.27 ERA, and 84 strikeouts in 135 total innings. In the offseason, he returned to the Águilas del Zulia and later made five relief appearances for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM).
In 2013, Valdez returned to the Vaqueros Laguna, making 12 starts before being released on May 30.
Rieleros de Aguascalientes
On June 22, 2013, he signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes, and was released on June 27 after making one start for the team. After another offseason playing in the Venezuelan and Dominican Winter Leagues, Valdez did not play regular season baseball in 2014. He made seven appearances for the Bravos de Margarita during the 2014 offseason.
Olmecas de Tabasco
In 2015, he signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco. In 23 starts, Valdez went 13–8 with a 2.63 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 1602⁄3 innings pitched. Valdez made five starts for the Tigres de Licey in the offseason.
Lamigo Monkeys
Partway through the 2015 season, Valdez signed with the Lamigo Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. He won the 2015 Taiwan Series with the club.
Houston Astros
On January 1, 2016, he signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros and was invited to spring training. He spent the entire 2016 season with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, and posted a 12–1 record, 3.12 ERA, and 114 strikeouts in 1381⁄3 innings.
Oakland Athletics
In November 2016, he signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics.
In 2017, Valdez began the season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, but was recalled on April 21. After appearing in four games for Oakland with a 9.64 ERA, Valdez was designated for assignment on May 3.
Toronto Blue Jays
On May 5, 2017, Valdez was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays and optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He was recalled on May 20. In July, Valdez was recalled by the Blue Jays and added to the starting rotation after Aaron Sanchez was placed on the disabled list. On July 25, Valdez earned his first MLB win in over seven years, defeating the Oakland Athletics 4–1. In 2017 he threw a changeup 49.4% of the time, tops in MLB. Valdez was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo on November 1, 2017, and elected free agency the following day.
Return to Tabasco
On March 16, 2018, Valdez signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He was released on May 1, 2018.
Leones de Yucatán
On July 29, 2018, Valdez signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. In 2019, he pitched to a 15–2 record with a 2.26 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 147.2 innings, winning the league's pitcher of the year award. On January 4, 2020, Valdez requested and was granted his release in order to pursue an opportunity with an MLB-affiliated organization.
Baltimore Orioles
Valdez signed a minor-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles on January 10, 2020. Valdez was promoted to the active roster when the Orioles selected his contract on August 27. He pitched three scoreless innings in relief in his first MLB appearance in three seasons in a 5–0 loss to the Blue Jays at Sahlen Field two nights later on August 29. He earned his first MLB save with two shutout innings in a 6–3 win over the New York Yankees in the nightcap of a twi-night doubleheader at Camden Yards on September 4. In 2020 for the Orioles, Valdez pitched to an excellent 1.26 ERA with 12 strikeouts over 9 appearances. After the 2020 season, he played for Licey of the LIDOM. He has also played for Dominican Republic in the 2021 Caribbean Series.
Pitching style
He primarily throws a changeup which drops 8.5 inches more than the average for that type of pitch according to Statcast. He also has a sinker and a fastball, both of which top out at 86 miles per hour, and a slider which he rarely uses.
Trophies 
Milestones
Former Youth Teams
Former Senior Teams
2010 |
2017 |
2017 |
Former Club Staff
Contracts
Fanart
Player Poster
Banner
News Reports
None found...
Collections
None found...
Statistics
Other Links
 WikiData |