Prospect Nation 2015: #20 Second baseman Jesmuel Valentin

Jesmuel Valentin, image- MiLB.com

A product of last season's post-trade deadline deadline that sent Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers, infielder Jesmuel Valentin has loads of potential and could be an eventual successor to six-time All-Star Chase Utley at second base for the Phillies.

Selected with the 51st overall draft pick in 2012, Valentin was quickly a well-hyped prospect in the Los Angeles system. Upon signing his initial professional contract, the five-foot-nine 180-pounder debuted in the rookie level Arizona League, posting a .211 average while lacing two homers and driving in 18 runs in 43 games.

In 2013 he began the season in the rookie level Pioneer League, where he batted .284 with four homers and 24 RBI in 62 games. A promotion to the Class A Great Lakes team followed and Valentin, as a 19-year-old, struggled a bit, batting .212 with six doubles, a triple and five RBI in 33 games.

Last year, Valentin repeated Class A and proved ready for the challenge. In 108 games for the Loons, he batted .280 with seven home runs and 47 RBI in 108 contests, making himself a desirable commodity to the Dodgers' potential trade partners. After joining the Phillies' organization in August, Valentin was assigned to Class A Advanced Clearwater where he posted a .205 average in 12 games.

A switch-hitter, Valentin produces better from the left side, posting an .826 OPS against righty hurlers with Great Lakes last year, compared to his .660 OPS mark from the right side. There's not a great amount of power in his bat, but as a contact hitter that can spray the ball to all fields, the youngster could develop a prototypical middle infield bat.

On defense, the 20-year-old is described as polished. He sports a good arm and has excellent range. Primarily a second baseman in the pro ranks, Valentin has also played 73 minor league games at shortstop, but none of those were played last season.

The bloodline is a plus for Valentin, whose father Jose played shortstop in the big leagues with the Dodgers, Mets, White Sox and Brewers. Jose's brother, Javier, also played in the majors as a catcher.

On the bases Jesmuel does not have plus speed, but can be a contributor as a stolen base threat. He swiped 25 bags in 33 attempts last season and has tallied a 69% success rate for his career in the lower levels where there are often no true first base coaches to time pitchers' deliveries and focus on improving their runners' chances on the base paths.

The Puerto Rico native tallied a .278 average with three doubles, two triples and 12 RBI in 29 regular season games with Mayaguez in the Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rican) League this off-season. He remains active with Mayaguez in their postseason, batting .273 through games played on Sunday.

There's no doubt that Valentin, who turns 21 in May, will enter the upcoming season ready for the challenge of the Class A Advanced Florida State League.

To follow along with this year’s full countdown, click HERE.

PhoulBallz Interview: Reading second baseman Jesmuel Valentin

Jesmuel Valentin, image- Jay Floyd Switch-hitting infielder Jesmuel Valentin has been a bit of an underrated contributor with the Double-A Reading Fightins. Heading into action on Friday, Valentin was batting .339 over his last 14 games. Overall this season, the 22-year-old is batting .282 with four home runs and 35 RBI in 64 games. Valentin, who plays mostly second base, but dabbles at shortstop a bit also, is the son of former big leaguer Jose Valentin . The Puerto Rico native was a supplementary round pick (51st overall) of the Dodgers in 2012. He was acquired by the Phils as part of the Roberto Hernandez trade in 2014. Recently, I spoke with Jesmuel about his team's success, growing up around the game and more. Read ahead for that full interview. -The Reading team has been great and you've contributed very nicely to the club's success. What are your thoughts on competition in the Eastern League this year? I just came here with the mindset that...

Catching prospect O'Hoppe tabbed to join Phillies

Logan O'Hoppe, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and via my Patreon page . For a small monthly fee, your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this feature. Thank you. On Friday, the Phillies added a pair of catchers to their 2020 player pool. Minor leaguers Logan O'Hoppe (pronounced Oh-HOP-ee) and Henri Lartigue arrived in Philadelphia to help catch bullpen sessions for the team's collection of approximately 30 pitchers. The call to O'Hoppe was extremely welcome as the 20-year-old had been staying as active as he possibly could, working out with other players that have been been waiting out quarantine due to the current pandemic at his home on Long Island. However, he had been very eager to step back onto an actual baseball field. "I just hope I can play soon. Where ever that is or whatever form that is, that'd be aw...

Chris Truby Speaks on Santana & Other BlueClaws Matters

On Monday, it was announced that the Astros selected outfielder Domingo Santana as the player to be named later in the late July trade that sent Hunter Pence to the Phillies. Santana, a Dominican born slugger, posted a .269 average with 7 HR and 32 RBI in 96 games with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. The 19-year-old is regarded as a five tool talent and has been ranked among the Phillies' top ten prospects by multiple national outlets. I had the opportunity to speak with Lakewood manager Chris Truby about Santana, the PTBNL list of five Phillies prospects that the Astros had to choose from, as well as other matters pertaining to the BlueClaws, as they enter the final few weeks of their regular season. Check out the media player below to hear the full interview. ______________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . You can also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE .

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