By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
March 10, 2010
Jesus Valdez has the makings of a sinker-slider type with a 90-92 fastball and a loose body. Note the final two pitches of the video where he intentionally dropped his slot for a different look. Right there, I said to myself, Jeff Weaver.
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
December 17, 2009
The first time I saw Jesus Valdez, he was a high school sophomore playing shortstop. There were no other scouts around me. Not one scout with his nose in his text messages or email. I looked around and I knew this guy was mine to study. I liked the guy’s frame and I saw projection. I saw him take ground balls at short before the game and I watched infield. He had stiff hands, but the guy could throw. His strong and loose arm power was clearly his best tool. I actually liked him as a shortstop if he could hit. I wasn’t in love with him offensively, but I wanted to follow this player.
Two years later, Valdez’s best tool is still his arm, and it’s as a right-handed pitcher that he’s going to be a good draft selection from Oxnard, California. The pro side will have to buy him out of Arizona first. Oxnard is a seaside town that has sent us a good share of professional baseball players over the decades. Have a look at Valdez. (more…)
