Skip to main content

Prospect Nation 2012: #2 Catcher Sebastian Valle

Righty hitting catcher Sebastian Valle has emerged as one of Philadelphia’s top offensive prospects. Using his quick bat and strong catching abilities the 21-year-old has built a reputation as a dangerous hitter and a leader for his pitching staff.

Since signing as a free agent with the Phillies at the age of 16, Valle has improved steadily in every aspect of his game. A smart hitter with power, Valle really shines behind the plate. Pitchers who have thrown to Valle cite his maturity and focus as qualities that help him stand out in leagues where talent is abundant.

The Mexico native made his pro debut in 2007 as a member of the Phils' Dominican Summer League team. In 54 games, Valle batted .284 and rocked an .802 OPS.

In 2008, Valle played for the Gulf Coast League Phillies, where he batted .281, hit 2 homers and drove in 18 runs in 48 games. There, he helped guide the GCL Phils' pitching staff to a league championship.

The following year, Valle, a 6-foot-1-inch 200-pounder, split time between Class A Lakewood and short-season A level Williamsport. In 50 games for the Williamsport Crosscutters, Valle shined, posting a .307 average with 6 homeruns and 40 RBI. In addition, Valle sported an .866 OPS with the ‘Cutters. The production wasn't quite the same as a member the Lakewood BlueClaws that year, however, as Valle struggled for playing time behind eventual Roy Halladay trade chip Travis d'Arnaud. In 45 games for the eventual South Atlantic League champion BlueClaws, Valle batted .223 with 1 HR, 15 RBI and a .644 OPS.

The 2010 season presented a chance to play more with Lakewood and Valle produced very solid numbers, as one of the leaders of the team's offense. Valle began the year a bit slow, notching just a single homerun in his first 40 games. Once he heated up, though, Valle hit 8 homeruns over the next 18 games and kept it going through the remainder of the year. In 117 regular season games, Valle posted a .255 batting average, while slamming a team leading 16 homers and driving in 74 runs to help his club lock down its second consecutive SAL title.

With Class A Advanced Clearwater, in 2011, Valle posted a .284 batting average with 5 homers and 40 RBI. Valle played in just 91 games, as he was held back with some injuries last year. Dealing with a sprained thumb, among other ailments, made it difficult for Valle to swing at his best and drive the ball.

Leading a group of minor league All-Star hurlers know as the Phils’ “Baby Aces”, Valle was honored as an All-Star himself last year with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. His terrific rapport with his staff and knowledge of each pitcher's strengths enables Valle to guide them toward bigger and better things.

Already a steadily sought after prospect, Valle projects to be a big league catcher and has displayed considerably more power and consistency with the bat than current Phils backstop Carlos Ruiz did at the same levels during his climb up the developmental ladder. In addition, Valle is doing those things at a younger age than Ruiz was in those same leagues.

An aggressive batter, Valle has a low walk rate that is quite noticeable and he must become more selective while batting. Phillies coaches have surely addressed this with the youngster. Surprisingly, Valle has walked twice in three Grapefruit League games with the big league club this spring.

Defensively, Valle has developed greatly and has impressed former big league catchers Mark Parent and Dusty Wathan, who have managed Valle with Lakewood and Clearwater respectively in each of the past two seasons.

Heading into 2012, Valle is expected to begin his season with Double-A Reading, where he will attempt to help himself and his pitchers continue to grow on the baseball field.
____________________________________________________________________

Our 2012 prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jason Knapp Q&A

PhoulBallz .com was fortunate enough to meet with Phillies prospect Jason Knapp just one day after he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 7 shut out innings, 14 strike out performance against the Indians' Lake County team. - I asked Jason, the Lakewood BlueClaw , for some thoughts about his big game... I had pretty good command of three pitches (fastball, curve, change up). I was on the same page with my catcher, D'Arnaud , and I ended up, ya know, I felt pretty good. - In a great performance like that, how much credit goes to Travis D'Arnaud , the catcher? More than you might expect, definitely. I didn't shake him off once. He told me what to throw and I do what I'm told. And if it works out, a lot of the credit goes to the catcher. - Does the lack of run support (Lakewood has scored 3 total runs in his 3 starts), in your few starts, increase your stress level, or enhance your focus? No, I just try to go out and do my job every outing. Ya know, we...

PhoulBallz Q&A with Mike Stutes

Mike Stutes completes "The Reading Phils Mike Tri-fecta" over three days, here on PhoulBallz.com. Stutes, a 22 year old, was an 11th round selection by the Phillies in the 2008 amateur draft. Stutes, a right handed starting pitcher, helped lead Oregon State to the College World Series championship in both 2006 and 2007. Stutes and teammate Vance Worley are the first players to begin a season at Reading the year after being drafted since Pat Burrell did it in 1999. Stutes was the Phils' minor league pitcher of the month in August '08, when he went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 6 starts. Check out my Q&A with the third Mike below. Can I get you to talk about the coaching staff and how they help you deal with ups and downs? They've been real positive with me. I started out good and then I hit a rough patch. They've stuck with me through it all. I haven't heard any negative words from them. Every day they try to come out, work with me, try to get me turned around...

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...