Fernando Valenzuela Jr.
From BR Bullpen
Fernando Valenzuela Jr.
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 10", Weight 210 lb.
- School University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- High School St. Francis High School
- Born September 30, 1982 in San Pedro, CA USA
Fernando Valenzuela Jr., the son of Fernando Valenzuela, has played minor league ball from 2003-08, mostly recently hitting .314 with the 2008 Leones de Yucatan, a Triple A team.
As a junior at UNLV, he hit .337, slugged .593 and drove in 75 runs while playing error-free ball at first base. He was named the Mountain West Conference All-Conference first baseman and Player of the Year.
The San Diego Padres took him in the 10th round of the 2003 amateur draft and he began his pro career with the Eugene Emeralds, where he hit .248/.372/.347 and his defense took a turn for the worse, as his 11 errors tied Travis Ishikawa for the most in the Northwest League.
In 2004, Fernando Jr. batted .294/.373/.414 with the Fort Wayne Wizards and drove in 81 runs. He hit into 22 double plays, most in the Midwest League. In '05, Valenzuela had a .296/.373/.432 season with the Lake Elsinore Storm, hitting 28 doubles and driving in 83 to lead the club. He led the California League with six intentional walks.
At age 23, he hit .169/.228/.197 in 28 games for the Mobile BayBears and was released by San Diego. The Chicago White Sox signed him and placed him on their Kannapolis Intimidators club, where he had a .266/.365/.416 line in 80 games as he tried to revive his career. That winter, he played for the Águilas de Mexicali as a teammate of his father's. In 2007, Valenzuela hit .349/.431/.500 in 47 games for the Laguna Cowboys.
Sources include 2004-2006 Baseball Almanacs
