About Javier Valentín

José Javier Valentín Rosario (born September 19, 1975) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. From 2004-2008, he played for the Cincinnati Reds after playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003) and four brief stints for the Minnesota Twins from 1997-2002. In 2005, he hit .281 with a career-high 14 home runs as a backup catcher for the Reds. He is a switch-hitter. Valentín played briefly at first base and even more infrequently at third base in his time with Cincinnati.

Playing career
Minnesota Twins
Valentín was drafted on June 3, 1993, by the Minnesota Twins in the third round (93rd overall) of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut on September 13, 1997, and ended up playing three seasons for the Twins.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
On November 15, 2002, the Twins traded Valentín and Matt Kinney to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor league prospects Gerry Oakes and Matt Yeatman. On March 24, 2003, the Brewers sent Valentín to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for Jason Conti. He made 49 appearances for the Devil Rays during the season, batting .222/.254/.356 with three home runs and 15 RBI.