Pat Valaika
Patrick Ryne Valaika (born September 9, 1992) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies.
| Pat Valaika | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Valaika at Coors Field in 2018 | |||
| Baltimore Orioles | |||
| Infielder | |||
| Born: September 9, 1992 Valencia, California | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| September 6, 2016, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2019 season) | |||
| Batting average | .214 | ||
| Home runs | 17 | ||
| Runs batted in | 51 | ||
| Teams | |||
Career
Amateur
Valaika attended Hart High School in Newhall, California and played college baseball at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1] He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
Colorado Rockies
Valaika was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on September 6, 2016.[3]
On Mother's Day, 2017, Valaika hit 2 home runs, and on Father's Day that same year he hit a pinch hit home run.
Baltimore Orioles
On October 30, 2019, Valaika was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.[4] However, Valaika was designated for assignment by the Orioles on January 10, 2020 to make room for Richard Ureña on their 40-man roster.[5]
On January 16, 2020, Valaika was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.[6] Valaika was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on January 27, following the acquisition of Starling Marte.
On January 30, Valaika was again claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.[7] He was outrighted to the minors on February 11.
Personal life
His brother, Chris, played professionally from 2006–2015.[8]
His other brother, Nick, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017.[9]
References
- "#19 Pat Valaika - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- UCLA shortstop Valaika taken by Rox in Round 9
- Baseball: Pat Valaika to become sixth former Hart player in MLB this season
- Patrick Saunders (October 30, 2019). "Tyler Anderson, Chad Bettis' departures highlight Rockies' roster moves". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- Todd, Jeff (January 10, 2020). "Orioles Claim Richard Urena, Designate Pat Valaika". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- Polishuk, Mark (January 16, 2020). "Diamondbacks Claim Pat Valaika". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/01/orioles-claim-pat-valaika-dfa-branden-kline.html
- Valaika brothers make baseball a family affair
- Berry, Adam (June 14, 2017). "Valaika joins three brothers as Draft selections". MLB.com. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- UCLA Bruins bio