Terpene

Charlie Valerio
Valerio with Leones del Escogido in 2021
Tampa Bay Rays
Catcher/Bullpen catcher
Born: (1990-11-07) November 7, 1990 (age 33)
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Bats: Both
Throws: Right

Charlie Samuel Valerio (born November 7, 1990) is a Dominican former professional baseball catcher and a former bullpen catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent in 2010 and played in the minor & independent leagues from 2010–2021. Valerio also played for the Dominican Republic national baseball team.

Career

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Cleveland Indians

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On May 26, 2010, Valerio signed with the Cleveland Indians organization as an international free agent.[1] He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Indians. In 2011, Valerio played for the rookie-level AZL Indians, batting .272/.359/.422 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI. The following season, Valerio split the year between the Low-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers and the Single-A Lake County Captains, accumulating a .255/.331/.394 with 5 home runs and 35 RBI. In 2013, Valerio played for the High-A Carolina Mudcats, posting a .238/.305/.346 slash with 2 home runs and 26 RBI.[2] For the 2014 season, Valerio split the season between Carolina and the Double-A Akron RubberDucks, batting a cumulative .250/.355/.325 with no home runs and 5 RBI before he was released by the Indians organization on July 23, 2014.[3]

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

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On March 27, 2015, Valerio signed with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.[4] In 65 games with the RedHawks, Valerio slashed .268/.336/.403 with 5 home runs and 26 RBI. On May 18, 2016, Valerio was released by the team.

Joplin Blasters

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On May 25, 2016, Valerio signed with the Joplin Blasters of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.[5] In 58 games for the Blasters, Valerio batted .297/.351/.457 with 6 home runs and 32 RBI.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (second stint)

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On July 30, 2016, Valerio was claimed off waivers by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.[6] He played in 26 games for the RedHawks, hitting .325/.411/.500 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI. He remained with the club after re-signing on February 10, 2017,[7] and logged a .275/.343/.472 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 93 games. On February 6, 2018, Valerio returned to Fargo for a fourth season,[8] and slashed .258/.306/.425 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI in 82 games.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

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On December 11, 2018, Valerio was traded to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in exchange for two players to be named later.[9] He appeared in 109 games for the Blue Crabs in 2019, hitting .262/.296/.416 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI.

San Diego Padres

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On November 14, 2019, Valerio signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres organization.[10] Valerio did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] He was released by the Padres on May 28, 2020.[12]

Sioux Falls Canaries

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On February 11, 2021, Valerio signed with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.[13] On December 15, 2021, the Canaries re-signed Valerio for the 2022 season.[14] He was released by the team before the start of the season on April 6, 2022, in order to fulfill his obligations with the Tampa Bay Rays.[15]

Post-playing career

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On April 6, 2022, Valerio was hired as a bullpen catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2022 season.[16]

International career

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On July 8, 2021, Valerio was named to the Olympic roster for the Dominican Republic national baseball team for the 2020 Summer Olympics (contested in 2021).[17]

References

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