Valenzuela signed with the Padres for $100,000 out of Mexico in July 2017 and was in the midst of his seventh pro season when he was dealt to the Blue Jays at the 2025 Deadline for Will Wagner. It was a savvy move by the organization to add a young, controllable catcher with a legitimate shot at being a big league backup. Between Double-A with San Diego and Triple-A with Toronto, Valenzuela hit .224 with 15 home runs and a .692 OPS over 113 games.
Valenzuela’s value has long been his defensive work. He’s an impressive receiver and manages the pitching staff well, but the first trait brought up by those around him is his throwing arm. Valenzuela projects to be well above average at controlling the running game at the next level and has thrown out over 30 percent of runners in three of his last four seasons. At the dish, Valenzuela is a switch-hitter who’s well balanced from either side, and while his 15 home runs in 2025 probably represent his power ceiling, that’s more than enough if his defense remains such a strength.
If Valenzuela’s bat takes the next step, his ceiling would shoot up quickly, but the present package is already that of a solid MLB backup, which many teams struggle to find. If the Blue Jays can pair Valenzuela with Alejandro Kirk for a few seasons, this deal will have been a roaring success. The defense isn’t going anywhere, so all eyes should be on Valenzuela’s offensive numbers in Triple-A now that he’s on the 40-man roster.
Valenzuela signed with the Padres for $100,000 out of Mexico in July 2017 and is now in the middle of his seventh Minor League season (discounting that first summer and the lost COVID year) in the Padres' system. He even re-signed to stay in the organization early last offseason and opened the 2025 season with Double-A San Antonio, where he served as the primary catcher with Ethan Salas sidelined for much of 2025 with a back issue. He was dealt to the Blue Jays at the Trade Deadline for infielder Will Wagner.
The backstop’s value has long been his defensive work. He’s taken keenly to the one-knee-down approach and been an impressive receiver back there, providing a good target for his pitchers. Coaches have routinely praised his work with pitching staffs. As if that wasn’t enough, Valenzuela keeps opposing running games in check with good arm strength and actions behind the plate; he’s posted a caught-stealing rate above 30 percent for three years running.
It's the bat that’s kept Valenzuela from ascending much higher, both in terms of Minor League levels and prospect rankings. The switch-hitter will take his walks, and he’s cut down on some of his chase against non-fastballs in 2025. His swing is grooved to elevate a ton, and without enough bat speed, it leads to more catchable fly balls and a traditionally low BABIP. His splits are even from both sides, however, and there’s enough in the approach -- and certainly enough in the glove -- to make him a backup candidate who could sprinkle in starts against starters regardless of handedness. He provides a need for a Toronto system in dire need of catching help.
Signed for $100,000 out of Mexico in July 2017, it’s been a bumpy near-seven years in pro ball for Valenzuela with the switch-hitting catcher taking steps forward and backward in equal measure. His breakout came in 2021 with an .833 OPS at Single-A Lake Elsinore, but that number dropped sharply to .682 over 99 games at High-A Fort Wayne a year later. He was Rule 5-eligible after both seasons and went unprotected and unpicked but looked stronger out of the gate in 2023, forcing his way out of the Midwest League with a .279/.372/.456 line in 39 games. Valenzuela went just 17-for-94 (.181) with 29 strikeouts in 27 games for Double-A San Antonio after a promotion and didn’t play after Aug. 8 due to surgery on his right MCL.
The switch-hitting backstop has always been adept at taking his walks, including during those Texas League struggles when his BB rate was up to 12 percent. His splits were pretty even from both sides, though he got significantly less time against lefties, and he has a swing geared to get the ball off the ground. Without much bat speed, however, the result is more catchable fly balls than laced homers, and that, along with Valenzuela’s below-average speed, make him a low BABIP candidate, thus putting more weight on his OBP to carry his slash line.
With one knee down defensively, Valenzuela sets up a nice target, receives well and routinely draws strong reviews for his work with pitching staffs. His above-average arm strength remains a consideration for opponents thinking of going for it on the basepaths. Despite his long road, Valenzuela is still only 23 entering the season and has the potential to be a No. 2 backstop if the bat allows it.
The Padres signed Valenzuela for $100,000 out of Mexico on the opening day of the 2017-18 international window. After solid performances at the Complex Leagues in his first two seasons and instructional play in 2020, he broke out at Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2021, hitting .307/.389/.444 over 82 games. However, he struggled mightily in his second campaign with a full-season affiliate a year later, posting just a .209/.334/.348 line and 96 wRC+ in 99 games with High-A Fort Wayne. The Padres did not protect him from the Rule 5 Draft with a 40-man spot in 2021 and 2022, and he wasn’t a threat to be taken either year because of the distance from the Majors.
San Diego officials have praised the switch-hitting backstop for the way he’s built himself into shape heading into 2023, thus putting himself in a better position to succeed from a physically demanding position. His best offensive skill has always been his ability to take a walk, and his 15.3 percent BB rate ranked fifth among Midwest League qualifiers last season. However, his quality of contact -- driven by a lack of bat speed and a flat bat path -- was tough to swallow. Case in point: 27 percent of his fly balls didn’t leave the infield. His added strength brought more promising results at High-A Fort Wayne early in 2023, backing up the belief that he could get to just a touch below-average power in time.
Valenzuela’s above-average arm strength -- he threw out 31.9 percent of attempted base stealers last year -- could be even more valuable in this next era of the game. He’s long drawn praise for his ability to work with a pitching staff and has shown the right receiving tendencies to profile as a potential No. 2 catcher. He’ll still only be 22 for the entire 2023 season.
Signed for $100,000 out of Hermosillo, Mexico, in the 2017-18 international class, Valenzuela has made noticeable strides early in his career. He hit .253/.379/.323 over 54 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, fared similarly in Rookie ball in 2019 and, after impressing during instructional camp in 2020, broke out and slashed .299/.393/.429 over two levels of Class A ball in his 2021 full-season debut.
Added strength helped Valenzuela hit seven homers last season (97 games) after he hit just one over the first 96 games of his career. However, the switch-hitter is viewed more as a defense-first catcher and not someone who would be counted upon to contribute much with the bat. Valenzuela sees the ball well, manages the zone and has good timing, but has below-average bat speed and a flat bat path.
Defensively, he is an advanced game caller for his age and projects as an above-average receiver, though there’s still room for growth. Questions remain about his hands and mobility behind the plate, but the tools are there and Valenzuela could develop into a serviceable glove-first backup.
The Padres have always prided themselves on their organizational catcher depth, but after a flurry of trades late in 2020, it took a hit. Enter Valenzuela, whom team decision-makers believe can help pick up some of the slack from the trades that sent Blake Hunt and Luis Torrens elsewhere. Valenzuela signed out of Hermosillo, Mexico, in the 2018-19 international class and posted a .251/.387/.309 slash line at Rookie ball before an impressive showing at the team’s instructional camp in fall 2020.
Valenzuela is a defense-first catcher who draws high marks for his makeup and leadership qualities. Pitchers love throwing to Valenzuela, who has a knack for pitch-calling and game management and projects as an above-average receiver. At the plate, Valenzuela is a switch-hitter, with a stroke slightly more polished from the left side. He has a solid feel for the strike zone without much power, though the club feels he might develop some gap-to-gap pop as he bulks up.
It seems unlikely Valenzuela would ever be counted on to contribute much offensively at the big league level. But his penchant for reaching base makes him a viable option. Combine that with a strong skill set behind the dish, and Valenzuela just might develop into a capable defense-first backstop.
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: 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
