César Valdez


César Miguel Valdez is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays.

Career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Valdez signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 2, 2005, as an international free agent.
He played at various levels of their minor league organization until 2010, when he was called up to the Majors on May 3 and made his Major League Baseball debut later that day. Valdez was designated for assignment on September 13. He made nine appearances for the Diamondbacks in 2010, and posted a 1–2 win–loss record, 7.65 earned run average, and 13 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 9, 2010, Valdez was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the player to be named later in the trade for Zach Duke.

Florida Marlins

On July 5, 2011, he was traded to the Florida Marlins organization for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 28, 2011, Valdez was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays organization and assigned to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, but released the following day. During the offseason, Valdez played for the Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League and the Gigantes de Carolina of the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Vaqueros Laguna

In 2012, Valdez joined the Vaqueros Laguna of the Mexican League. He made 24 appearances and pitched to an 11–8 record, 5.27 ERA, and 84 strikeouts in 135 total innings. In the offseason, he returned to the Águilas del Zulia and later made five relief appearances for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League.
In 2013, Valdez returned to the Vaqueros Laguna, making 12 starts before being released on May 30.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On June 22, 2013, he signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes, and was released on June 27 after making one start for the team. After another offseason playing in the Venezuelan and Dominican Winter Leagues, Valdez did not play regular season baseball in 2014. He made seven appearances for the Bravos de Margarita during the 2014 offseason.

Olmecas de Tabasco

In 2015, he signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco. In 23 starts, Valdez went 13–8 with a 2.63 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 160 innings pitched. Valdez made five starts for the Tigres de Licey in the offseason.

Houston Astros

On January 1, 2016, he signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros and was invited to spring training. He spent the entire 2016 season with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, and posted a 12–1 record, 3.12 ERA, and 114 strikeouts in 138 innings.

Oakland Athletics

In November 2016, he signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics. He began the 2017 season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, but was recalled on April 21. After appearing in four games for Oakland with a 9.64 ERA, Valdez was designated for assignment on May 3.

Toronto Blue Jays

On May 5, 2017, Valdez was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays and optioned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He was recalled on May 20. In July, Valdez was recalled by the Blue Jays and added to the starting rotation after Aaron Sanchez was placed on the disabled list. On July 25, Valdez earned his first MLB win in over seven years, defeating the Oakland Athletics 4–1. In 2017 he threw a changeup 49.4% of the time, tops in MLB. Valdez was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo on November 1, 2017, and elected free agency the following day.

Return to Tabasco

On March 16, 2018, Valdez signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He was released on May 1, 2018.

Leones de Yucatán

On July 29, 2018, Valdez signed with the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. In 2019, he pitched to a 15–2 record with a 2.26 ERA and 122 strikeouts across 147.2 innings, winning the league's pitcher of the year award. On January 4, 2020, Valdez requested and was granted his release in order to pursue an opportunity with an MLB-affiliated organization.

Baltimore Orioles

On January 10, 2020, Valdez signed a minor-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles.