Fred Valentine (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fred Valentine |
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Valentine in 2011
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: January 19, 1935 Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S. |
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| Died: December 26, 2022 (aged 87) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 7, 1959, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 24, 1968, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .247 | ||
| Home runs | 36 | ||
| Runs batted in | 138 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .246 | ||
| Home runs | 11 | ||
| Runs batted in | 46 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Fred Lee Valentine (born January 19, 1935 – died December 26, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He was an outfielder, which means he played in the part of the baseball field farthest from home plate.
Fred played in 533 games over seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). This is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Senators. He also played one season in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers. Fred was a switch hitter, meaning he could bat from both the left and right sides of home plate. He threw the ball with his right hand.
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Starting His Baseball Journey
Fred Valentine went to Tennessee State University. After college, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 1956. He spent four seasons playing in the Orioles' farm system. This is where younger players train and develop their skills before playing in the big leagues.
In 1959, Fred got his first chance to play in MLB with the Orioles. He played in 12 games and had a good batting average of .316. This means he got a hit almost one-third of the times he batted.
Playing in the Big Leagues
After his first taste of MLB, Fred went back to playing in the minor leagues. He got another chance with the Orioles in 1963, playing in 26 games. He batted .268 as a backup outfielder and pinch hitter. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player.
In 1964, Fred joined the Washington Senators. This was his first full season in MLB, where he played in 102 games. He played in all three outfield positions.
A Great Season in the Minors
In 1965, Fred was sent to Triple-A Hawaii, which is the highest level of minor league baseball. He had an amazing season there! He hit 25 home runs and had a batting average of .324. He also led the Pacific Coast League in runs scored, with 116. Because of his great performance, he was called back up to the Senators in September.
His Best MLB Year
The year 1966 was Fred Valentine's best season in Major League Baseball. He played in 146 games for the Senators. He started 127 of those games as either the center fielder or right fielder.
Fred hit a personal best of 16 home runs and had 59 runs batted in (RBIs). RBIs show how many runs a player helps score. His batting average was a strong .276, which was the second-highest on the team. He also led the Senators in runs scored (77), hits (140), and doubles (29).
Later Career and Japan
In 1967, Fred continued to play for the Senators, appearing in 150 games. However, his hitting numbers went down a bit. In 1968, he played in 26 games for Washington before being traded back to the Baltimore Orioles. He finished his MLB career playing as a reserve outfielder for Baltimore.
After his time in MLB, Fred played one more year of professional baseball in Japan in 1970. He played for the Hanshin Tigers, where he batted .246 and hit 11 home runs.
Career Highlights
Overall, Fred Valentine had a batting average of .247 in Major League Baseball. He collected 360 hits, including 56 doubles, 10 triples, and 36 home runs. He also had 138 runs batted in during his MLB career.
Fred Valentine passed away on December 26, 2022, at the age of 87.
