By Scott Barancik, editor
Danny Valencia, a much-traveled third baseman who enjoyed a strong comeback with the Baltimore Orioles last season, has been traded again.
The O’s are sending Valencia, 29, to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for OF David Lough, who finished 8th in voting for the 2013 A.L. Rookie of the Year award.
According to MLB.com reporter Dick Kaegel, the Royals see Valencia as a logical back-up for third baseman Mike Moustakas against left-handed pitching. Valencia hit .371 last year against lefties, compared with Moustakas’ .196. Valencia also could see time at first base, where he has no Major League experience.
On his Twitter feed Wednesday, Valencia thanked his Orioles teammates and fans and said he was “looking forward to meeting my teammates in K.C. and starting a new chapter with the Royals organization.”
The University of Miami alum is used to starting over. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 19th round of the 2006 amateur draft, Valencia made his MLB debut in 2010 and finished third in voting for A.L. Rookie of the Year, good enough to become the Twins’ starting third baseman in 2011. But a sub-.200 performance at the plate earned him an early trip to the minors in 2012 and a late-season trade to the Red Sox, who sold him to Baltimore during the off-season.
Reinvented as a designated hitter, Valencia broke out in 2013, hitting .304 with 8 HRs, 14 doubles, and 23 RBIs in 52 MLB games. He continued to play third base in the minors, where he hit .286 with 14 HRs and 51 RBIs in 65 games.
Jewish Baseball News thanks Zev Ben Avigdor for the tip on Valencia.
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