Danny Valencia

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #6 prospect in 2010
  The Twins started four different third basemen for at least 20 games in 2009 and have used 17 players at the position since Corey Koskie left following the 2004 season. Valencia has evolved into their best in-house option, reaching Triple-A last June and earning a spot on the 40-man roster in November. With good strength in his hands and wrists plus leverage in his swing, Valencia has plus raw power and tied for the organization lead with 38 doubles in 2009. He has the bat speed to get to good fastballs and trusts his hands, staying back on breaking balls and using the whole field. He has the defensive tools to play third base, with average hands, solid first-step quickness and plus arm strength. Valencia committed 20 errors in 124 games last year, which scouts attribute to his subpar concentration and footwork. He's just not consistent defensively. His plate discipline regressed in Triple-A, which bears watching. His brash, cocky demeanor has turned off some club officials and teammates in the past, but he has matured in the last year. He's a below-average runner. Now 25, Valencia will challenge for the third-base job in Minnesota in 2010. Defense will be the determining factor for a team that started Matt Tolbert twice at the hot corner in the playoffs.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #5 prospect in 2009
  The Twins have been searching for an everyday third baseman since Corey Koskie left as a free agent after the 2004 season, and Valencia is the latest heir to the throne. He was a Florida State League all-star in 2008 and finished strongly at Double-A New Britain. Valencia's bat speed ranks among the best in the organization. He has good hand-eye coordination and can turn on good fastballs and drive them out of the park. He's strong enough to hit for power from pole to pole. He has improved his pitch recognition and can punish hanging breaking balls. He's a good athlete with first-step quickness and an above-average arm at third base. Consistency, in terms of concentration and execution, would propel Valencia from average to plus defensively. He'd also benefit from more patience at the plate. He rubs some teammates and club officials the wrong way with bouts of immaturity, including taking bad at-bats with him into the field and showing up umpires. He has below-average speed but isn't a liability on the bases. The Twins were looking outside--again--for a third baseman, but a more mature, focused Valencia could provide an internal answer. He's expected to get his first Triple-A test sometime in 2009.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #22 prospect in 2008
  The Twins went hard after third basemen in the 2006 draft, just as they had three years earlier. In those drafts, they acquired players such as Matt Moses, Garrett Olson, Whit Robbins, Valencia and David Winfree, and most of them haven't met expectations. That has prompted them to add Brian Buscher (minor league Rule 5 draft) and Matt Macri (trade) to buttress the big league club at the hot corner, but there's still hope Valencia can be part of the equation. He's one of the system's better run producers, with a pull-oriented approach and good strength and leverage in his swing, producing above-average power. While Valencia sells out too much and is prone to strikeouts, he has some feel for hitting. Defensively, he lacks the range to be a quality defender, but his solid hands and above-average arm should keep him at third base. His makeup hasn't endeared him to the Twins, and similar concerns cropped up in his college career, split between UNC Greensboro and Miami. Despite the organization's logjam of mediocrity on its third-base depth chart, Valencia should move up a step to Double-A.