Javier Valentin
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1997-2008)
Javier Valentin was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2008 for the Minnesota Twins, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 12 seasons. In 631 career games, he hit .251 with 379 hits, 45 home runs, and 210 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 198 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1997-09-13
- Last Game
- 2008-09-28
Full name: Jose Javier Valentin
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 631 | 1,507 | 154 | 379 | 82 | 5 | 45 | 210 | 0 | 131 | 257 | .251 | .310 | .402 | .712 | -1,704 |
Career AVG .251 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.
Career OBP .310 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 7.5% below league average.
Career SLG .402 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .712 vs. league average .758 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | MIN | AL | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1998 | MIN | AL | 55 | 162 | 11 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 11 | 30 | .198 | .266 (-26%) | .335 (-26%) | .420 (-27%) | .755 (-26%) | -739.5 |
| 1999 | MIN | AL | 78 | 218 | 22 | 54 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 0 | 22 | 39 | .248 | .271 (-9%) | .344 (-9%) | .433 (-12%) | .778 (-11%) | -450.4 |
| 2002 | MIN | AL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2003 | TBA | AL | 49 | 135 | 13 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 31 | .222 | .264 (-16%) | .332 (-24%) | .422 (-16%) | .754 (-19%) | -467.2 |
| 2004 | CIN | NL | 82 | 202 | 18 | 47 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 36 | .233 | .266 (-13%) | .335 (-13%) | .427 (-11%) | .762 (-12%) | -423.9 |
| 2005 | CIN | NL | 76 | 221 | 36 | 62 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 50 | 0 | 30 | 37 | .281 | .264 (+6%) | .330 (+10%) | .418 (+24%) | .749 (+18%) | 744.7 |
| 2006 | CIN | NL | 92 | 186 | 24 | 50 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 27 | 0 | 13 | 29 | .269 | .269 (avg) | .336 (-7%) | .431 (+2%) | .768 (-2%) | -88.8 |
| 2007 | CIN | NL | 97 | 243 | 19 | 67 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 19 | 25 | .276 | .268 (+3%) | .335 (-2%) | .422 (-8%) | .758 (-6%) | -242.5 |
| 2008 | CIN | NL | 94 | 129 | 10 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 14 | 27 | .256 | .263 (-3%) | .333 (-2%) | .416 (-1%) | .749 (-2%) | -36.2 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 631 | 1,507 | 154 | 379 | 82 | 5 | 45 | 210 | 0 | 131 | 257 | .251 | — | — | — | — | -1,704 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (631 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 325 | 768 | 77 | 187 | 23 | 110 | .243 |
| Away | 306 | 739 | 77 | 192 | 22 | 100 | .260 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09-28 | CIN | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-26 | CIN | STL | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-25 | CIN | HOU | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-23 | CIN | HOU | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-22 | CIN | MIA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-21 | CIN | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-18 | CIN | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008-09-16 | CIN | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008-09-14 | CIN | AZ | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-13 | CIN | AZ | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 23 | 15 | 138 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| 3B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 432 | 324 | 2203 | 163 | 21 | 14 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | MIN | C | 4 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | MIN | C | 53 | 42 | 281 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| 1999 | MIN | C | 76 | 59 | 387 | 27 | 1 | 4 |
| 2002 | MIN | C | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | TBA | C | 42 | 33 | 212 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 | CIN | 1B | 7 | 3 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2004 | CIN | C | 55 | 44 | 305 | 31 | 4 | 2 |
| 2005 | CIN | 1B | 2 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2005 | CIN | C | 62 | 58 | 341 | 28 | 3 | 2 |
| 2006 | CIN | 1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | CIN | C | 46 | 32 | 244 | 20 | 7 | 1 |
| 2007 | CIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2007 | CIN | C | 73 | 49 | 341 | 19 | 1 | 4 |
| 2008 | CIN | 1B | 11 | 10 | 75 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| 2008 | CIN | 3B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | CIN | C | 17 | 6 | 67 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 432 |
| First Base | 23 |
| Third Base | 4 |
| Designated Hitter | 9 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | CIN | NL | $1,250,000 |
| 2006 | CIN | NL | $1,150,000 |
| 2005 | CIN | NL | $450,000 |
| 2004 | CIN | NL | $500,000 |
| 2003 | TBA | AL | $305,000 |
| 1999 | MIN | AL | $207,500 |
| 1998 | MIN | AL | $170,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $4,032,500 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Javier Valentin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Javier Valentin: the record in brief
According to the bio, Javier Valentin debuted on September 13, 1997 and played a final game on September 28, 2008. The season rows list, in order, the Minnesota Twins (1997 to 2002), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003), and the Cincinnati Reds (2004 through 2008). Born on September 19, 1975, in Manati, P.R., Valentin is listed as a catcher and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Valentin's listed size is 5-foot-10 and 198 pounds. Valentin's full given name, per the bio, is Jose Javier Valentin.
The batting record for Valentin: 631 games, 379 hits in 1,507 at bats, and a .251 average, adding 45 home runs and 210 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .310 and .402 give Valentin a career OPS of .712. Over the seasons Valentin played, league hitters batted .266; the .251 career figure is 5.5% below that. Valentin's most home runs in a season came in 2005, when the total reached 14 for the Cincinnati Reds. The hits column peaks at 67, in 2007.
Frequently Asked Questions about Javier Valentin
- What years did Javier Valentin play?
- Javier Valentin played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2008.
- Was Javier Valentin a pitcher?
- No. Javier Valentin was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Javier Valentin hit?
- Javier Valentin hit 45 career home runs with 379 hits.
- What was Javier Valentin's career batting average?
- Javier Valentin batted .251 over his career, with 379 hits in 1,507 at bats.
- How many RBI did Javier Valentin have?
- Javier Valentin drove in 210 runs in his career.
- Is Javier Valentin in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Javier Valentin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.