One of the most notable prospects in the 2017-18 international class, Valera signed with Cleveland for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic with a reputation as a potential five-tool center fielder with an above-average hit tool. Much has changed in the years since, as a bevy of injuries and the 2020 pandemic season have held him to just 505 total games across eight years in pro ball. The New York native now has a power-over-hit profile and looks like a platoon outfielder, but his winding path to the Majors has already borne fruit, in the form of a .748 OPS in 16 regular-season games and a big postseason home run.
Valera's biggest calling card is his raw power. From a crouched stance and with a quick, left-handed swing, he can produce big exit velocities, especially against right-handed pitching. Valera has always drawn a good amount of walks and has grown even more selective over time, which has been critical to help counterbalance the whiffs that come with his pull power. Over the past three seasons, he's managed just a 62 percent contact rate against lefties, compared to a 71 percent rate against righties.
Once an average runner and defender, Valera has taken a step back in both departments since suffering his most recent injury, a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. His sprint speeds are down from his peak, even if he was never considered a burner, and he's had some defensive lapses. Optimistically, getting further from that injury should return more confidence and range. The biggest thing for him will be to stay healthy to prove that he can carve out a platoon role in his age-25 season -- and maybe more with time.
Born in New York, Valera moved to the Dominican Republic at age 13 and developed into one of the top hitters in the 2017 international class. He has shown considerable promise since signing for $1.3 million but also has played in just 355 games in his first six years as a pro because of a series of injuries and the pandemic. Hamate and hamstring issues cost him most of the first two months of the 2023 season before he had the worst performance of his career, hitting .211/.343/.375 in Triple-A.
Initially considered more pure hitter than slugger, Valera has turned into a power-over-hit guy as his career regressed. He still has a loose, quick left-handed stroke but aggressively hunts home runs and chases pitches, leading to a career strikeout rate of 26 percent. He produces high exit velocities and offers 30-homer upside, though it wasn't as obvious last year when he struggled to pull and lift pitches more than usual, perhaps a residual effect of hamate surgery.
After spending most of his first two years in full-season ball on the outfield corners, Valera predominantly played center field in 2023. He has average arm strength and speed to match, which translates into fringy range in center. He skipped winter ball this offseason to focus on improving his body in hopes of staying on the field more often.
Born in New York, Valera moved to the Dominican Republic at age 13 and became one of the most highly sought-after hitters in the 2017 international class. After signing for $1.3 million, he played in just 58 games in his first four years as a pro because of a broken hamate in 2018 and the pandemic in 2020, then missed four weeks with an oblique strain in 2021. Fully healthy last season, he batted .250/.353/.463 with 52 extra-base hits and 74 walks as a 21-year-old in Double-A and Triple-A.
When Valera first entered pro ball, he stood out with a loose left-handed swing with bat speed, rhythm and balance. As he has developed, he has become more of a slugger than a pure hitter, adept at driving balls out of the park to his pull side. He tends to swing and miss a lot -- even at fastballs -- resulting in a 25 percent strikeout rate after four pro seasons, though he offsets the whiffs with 30-homer potential and a healthy amount of walks.
Primarily a center fielder in his first two years as a pro, Valera has spent most of his time on the corners in full-season ball. He's an average runner with an average arm who's capable in both left and right field. Cleveland has several other lefty-hitting candidates for its outfield, but none of them can match his exit velocities or power upside, though the start to his 2023 season was delayed when he was slow to recover from offseason surgery to remove a broken hamate from his right hand.
Valera moved from New York to the Dominican Republic at age 13 and blossomed into one of the best hitters in the 2017 international class, signing for $1.3 million. A broken hamate in his right hand in 2018 and the lost 2020 Minor League season limited him to just 58 games in his first four years as a pro before he finally made a successful full-season debut in 2021. He reached Double-A at age 20 while recording a .910 OPS with 19 homers and 11 steals in 86 games, after which Cleveland added him to its 40-man roster.
The Guardians have stockpiled talented young hitters and Valera has the best swing of them all, a loose left-handed stroke with quickness, rhythm and balance. He recognizes pitches and manages the strike zone better than most players of his age and experience, regularly making hard contact. Though he batted just .246 in his first three pro seasons, he always has been one of the youngest players in his leagues and projects as a potential .280 hitter with 25 homers per year once he starts driving more balls in the air.
After spending much of his first two pro seasons in center field, Valera saw more action on the corners in 2021. Presently an average runner, he could lose a half-step as he matures physically, but he should profile well in left or right field with his bat and average to solid arm. He missed four weeks with a strained oblique last season and Cleveland would love to see what he could do with a fully healthy year.
After moving from New York to the Dominican Republic at age 13, Valera became one of the best offensive prospects in the 2017 international class and signed for $1.3 million. He played in just 58 games in his first four years as a pro because he broke the hamate bone in his right hand in 2018 and the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the 2020 Minor League season. He did post an .802 OPS as the second-youngest regular (behind only teammate Brayan Rocchio) in the short-season New York-Penn League in 2019 before participating at Cleveland's alternate site and instructional league program last year.
In a system full of precocious young hitters, Valera has the prettiest swing of all, a loose left-handed stroke with rhythm and balance. Despite his youth and inexperience, he recognizes pitches well, works counts and makes hard contact to all fields. He still needs to add strength and prove himself against advanced pitching, but he has all of the ingredients to become a .300 hitter with 25 or more homers per season.
During the limited opportunities for development in 2020, Valera focused on honing a more selective approach at the plate and improving his defensive play. Though he has spent most of his early career in center and right field, he has average speed, range and arm strength and could wind up in left. He has recorded 11 assists in 51 games in the outfield, so his arm may be a bit underrated.
Valera moved from New York to the Dominican Republic at age 13 and blossomed into one of the best hitting prospects in the 2017 international class. The Indians brought him to the United States after signing him for $1.3 million, but a broken hamate bone in his right hand limited his 2018 pro debut to just six games. He posted an .802 OPS as the second-youngest regular (behind teammate Brayan Rocchio) in the short-season New York-Penn League last year.
Valera has the prettiest swing in a system full of gifted young hitters, a loose stroke with rhythm and balance from the left side of the plate. He already recognizes pitches well, works deep counts and shows the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Once he settles in against older competition, adds some strength and puts the ball in the air more often, he could become a .300 hitter with 25-30 homers per season.
Though he has spent most of his early career in center and right field, there's a chance that Valera could end up in left field. His speed and arm strength earn more average than solid grades, though he did throw out 11 baserunners in his first 51 pro games. No matter his position, he should hit enough to profile as a regular.
Born in New York, Valera moved to the Dominican Republic at 13 and developed into one of the best hitting prospects in the 2017 international class. Signed for $1.3 million, he was easily advanced enough at the plate to come to the United States for his pro debut at 17 last summer. He played only six games, however, before his '18 season ended with a broken hamate bone in his right hand.
Valera has the best stroke in a system full of pretty swings, displaying looseness, rhythm and balance from the left side of the plate. He also has a mature approach and a knack for drawing walks along with making contact to all fields. His bat speed and the leverage in his swing give him solid raw power, and his skill as a hitter means that he may be able to translate most of it into home-run production once he adds more strength.
Valera has a chance to have average or better tools across the board, though it's still uncertain where he'll play as a finished product. The Indians believe he can improve his quickness if he works on it and stationed him in center field for most of his brief debut. His arm earns average-to-solid grades, but there's a chance he could end up in left field, where his bat should still make him a regular.
Valera was born in New York and spent his first 13 years there before moving with his family to the Dominican Republic. He was revered by scouts as one of the premier hitters in the 2017-18 international class, a distinction which earned him the No. 21 spot on MLB Pipeline's list of the Top 30 international prospects. Impressed by Valera's across-the-board tools and high ceiling at the plate, the Indians made him a key part of their international class, signing Valera for $1.3 million on July 2. Assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona League for his pro debut the following year, Valera logged just six games before undergoing surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his hand.
Athletic and wiry, Valera has a smooth and loose left-handed swing with some whip and leverage that enables him to generate backspin. He makes hard contact, showing barrel awareness and driving the ball to all fields, and scouts like his advanced approach in the batter's box and overall plate discipline. Those qualities give Valera a chance at becoming an above-average hitter with at least average game power, which he already shows as a teenager.
Valera is an average runner with an above-average arm. He takes good routes and has solid defensive actions in the outfield, profiling best in either right or left field. Valera may be years away from making impact, but he has the necessary tools, skills and intangibles to do so.
One of the top hitters in the 2017-18 international class, Valera was viewed by scouts as one of the better outfielders on the market because of his hit tool and defensive prowess. The Indians, intrigued by his across-the-board tools and overall upside, made Valera a key part of their international class, signing him for $1.3 million on July 2.
Valera has a smooth and loose left-handed swing with some whip to it. Athletic and wiry, he makes hard contact and can spray the ball to all fields. He projects to hit for average with some power, and scouts like his advanced approach in the batter's box and overall plate discipline.
Valera is an average runner with an above-average arm, an above-average glove and solid defensive actions in the outfield. He profiles as a right fielder and has earned praise for his routes in the outfield. Scouts also like his makeup and instincts on both sides of the ball.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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HR
2025
3
2
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
1
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
2
2
2
Player
3
2
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
1
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
2
2
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
