José Valentín

José Antonio Valentín (born October 12, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1992–1999), Chicago White Sox (2000–2004), Los Angeles Dodgers (2005), and New York Mets (2006–2007). Currently he is the first base coach for the San Diego Padres. His son Jesmuel was a 1st round pick by the Dodgers in the 2012 MLB Draft.

Baseball career

Early years

Valentín was signed on October 12, 1986, by the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent. However, he was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers on March 26, 1992 with Ricky Bones and Matt Mieske in exchange for Gary Sheffield and Minor League prospect Geoff Kellogg. He made his major league debut with the Brewers on September 17, 1992. On January 12, 2000, and after eight seasons with the Brewers, he was traded with Cal Eldred to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Jaime Navarro and John Snyder. He played five seasons with the White Sox before becoming a free agent on October 29, 2004.

Decline and injuries