Charlie Valerio

From BR Bullpen

Charlie Valerio

  • Bats Both, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 0", Weight 204 lb.

BR Minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Charlie Valerio has played in the minors and for the Dominican national team.

Valerio was signed by Cleveland Indians scouts Ramon Pena, Felix Nivar and Miguel Valdez in 2010. [1] He debuted that summer with the DSL Indians, hitting .276/.387/.383 and serving as their main first baseman. He also caught, throwing out 48% of those who tried to steal. That convinced the Indians to make him a catcher primarily in 2011, when he hit .272/.359/.422 for the AZL Indians and gunned down half of those running on him.

He spent most of 2012 with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (.269/.344/.416, 35 RBI in 53 G) and was 0 for 11 with a walk for the Lake County Captains. He spent 2013 with the Carolina Mudcats, backing up Tony Wolters and producing at a .238/.305/.346 clip. After brief stints with Carolina (.245/.365/.358 in 17 G) and the Akron Aeros (.259/.333/.259 in 9 G) in 2014, the Indians cut ties with him.

Charlie made his Dominican Winter League debut in 2014-2015, with the Leones del Escogido, going 4 for 12 with a double, run and two RBI as the third-string catcher behind Wilkin Castillo and Jett Bandy. He hit .268/.336/.403 for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. That winter, he was 0 for 2 with a walk and two runs for Escogido, stuck behind Austin Hedges, Rocky Gale, Castillo and Ronny Paulino, all of whom played in the majors during their careers. He hit .297/.351/.457 in 2016 between Fargo-Moorhead (.325/.411/.500 in 26 G) and the Joplin Blasters (.297/.351/.457 in 58 G). Luis Alen was named the American Association's All-Star catcher instead. He was 1 for 1 with a run and a RBI for Escogido in 2016-2017.

Spending all of 2017 with Fargo-Moorhead, he hit .275/.343/.472 with 24 doubles and 12 home runs but only caught 10% stealing. He tied Burt Reynolds for 8th in the AA in doubles. In the winter, he was 2 for 8 with a walk for the Leones, serving as one of several players to catch a few games while Castillo saw the bulk of the load. With the 2018 RedHawks, he hit .258/.306/.425. That winter, he was again 2 for 8 with a walk for Escogido, backing up Castillo, Austin Bossart and Steven Baron.

Starting behind the dish for the Dominican Republic in the 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier, he hit .333/.381/.667 with two homers and five RBI in five games. With his team surprisingly down 1-0 in the 7th against Brazil, he homered off former major leaguer André Rienzo to begin a comeback (had they lost, the Dominicans would not have made it to the second round). In the finale against Colombia, he was 1 for 5 with a walk, homer, two runs and two RBI as the Dominicans won the event. They had already locked up a spot in the 2019 Pan American Games by that point. Valerio was the only catcher in the Qualifier to throw out multiple runners on the basepaths. He also tied former MLB starter Paulino and Willie Vásquez for 4th in RBI and tied Eric Wood, MLB vet Willy García and Christian Correa for 2nd in homers (3 behind teammate and MVP Garabez Rosa). While he lost out the All-Tournament catcher spot to Canada's Kellin Deglan, he won the Best Defensive Player award. [2]

In 2024, he was named a bullpen catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sources[edit]

  1. 2014 Indians Media Guide, pg. 293
  2. 2019 Pan American Games Qualifier Stats Report

Related Sites[edit]