Jose Valverde, baseball player, 2003-2014

Jose Valverde

Born: 3/24/1978 in San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macorís, D.R.

MLB Debut: 2003-06-01 | Final Game: 2014-05-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 265 lbs

Full name: Jose Rafael Valverde

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Biography

Jose Valverde, born in 1978, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 2003 to 2014. Known for his powerful fastball and charismatic presence on the mound, Valverde established himself as a formidable closer, earning three All-Star selections throughout his tenure. He finished his career with a record of 27-33 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.27, while accumulating 692 strikeouts and 288 saves, showcasing his ability to dominate hitters in high-pressure situations. Valverde made a significant impact during his time in the league, particularly with teams like the Detroit Tigers, where he became a fan favorite for his intense style and celebratory antics after securing saves. His contributions were particularly vital during the late 2000s and early 2010s, an era characterized by a competitive landscape in baseball that demanded elite performance from closers. Valverde's legacy in the game is marked not only by his statistical achievements but also by his role in shaping the expectations for relief pitchers in the modern era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
27 33 626 0 0 0 288 630.3 490 229 67 264 692 3.27 0

Career ERA 3.27 vs. league average 4.20 across their career seasons — 22.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2003 AZ NL 2 1 54 0 0 0 10 50.3 24 12 26 71 2.15 4.40 (+51%) -
2004 AZ NL 1 2 29 0 0 0 8 29.7 23 14 17 38 4.25 4.46 (+5%) -
2005 AZ NL 3 4 61 0 0 0 15 66.3 51 18 20 75 2.44 4.29 (+43%) -
2006 AZ NL 2 3 44 0 0 0 18 49.3 50 32 22 69 5.84 4.53 (-29%) -
2007 AZ NL 1 4 65 0 0 0 47 64.3 46 19 26 78 2.66 4.47 (+41%) -
2008 HOU NL 6 3 74 0 0 0 44 72.0 62 27 23 83 3.38 4.32 (+22%) 1187.5
2009 HOU NL 4 2 52 0 0 0 25 54.0 40 14 21 56 2.33 4.32 (+46%) 1115.6
2010 DET AL 2 4 60 0 0 0 26 63.0 41 21 32 63 3.00 4.08 (+26%) 482.4
2011 DET AL 2 4 75 0 0 0 49 72.3 52 18 34 69 2.24 3.94 (+43%) 718.8
2012 DET AL 3 4 71 0 0 0 35 69.0 59 29 27 48 3.78 4.01 (+6%) 696.6
2013 DET AL 0 1 20 0 0 0 9 19.3 18 12 6 19 5.59 3.87 (-45%) -1209.6
2014 NYN NL 1 1 21 0 0 0 2 20.7 24 13 10 23 5.66 3.74 (-51%) -588.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
626 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 0.500 1.000 1.500 0.0

Career AVG .500 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +91.7% above league average.

Career OBP .500 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — +52.5% above league average.

Career SLG .000 vs. league average .412 across their career seasons — +142.5% above league average.

Career OPS 1.500 vs. league average 0.740 across their career seasons — +102.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2003 AZ NL 54 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
2004 AZ NL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2005 AZ NL 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 AZ NL 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2007 AZ NL 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 HOU NL 74 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2009 HOU NL 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 DET AL 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 DET AL 75 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 DET AL 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2013 DET AL 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2014 NYN NL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2012 ALCS DET 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2012 ALDS2 DET 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2012 WS DET 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2011 ALCS DET 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2011 ALDS1 DET 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2007 NLCS ARI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2007 NLDS1 ARI 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 3 14 0 5 14.7 20 16 11 20 9.82

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2012 ALCS DET 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 3 4 1 2 54.00
2012 ALDS2 DET 0 1 2 0 1 1.7 4 3 0 3 16.20
2012 WS DET 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 4 2 0 1 54.00
2011 ALCS DET 0 1 3 0 1 4.3 5 4 2 3 8.31
2011 ALDS1 DET 0 0 3 0 2 3.0 2 2 4 3 6.00
2007 NLCS ARI 0 1 1 0 0 1.7 1 1 3 2 5.40
2007 NLDS1 ARI 0 0 3 0 1 3.0 1 0 1 6 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 626 0 34 25 8 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2003 ARI P 54 0 3 1 0 0
2004 ARI P 29 0 4 2 2 0
2005 ARI P 61 0 3 7 0 0
2006 ARI P 44 0 1 1 0 0
2007 ARI P 65 0 5 2 0 0
2008 HOU P 74 0 6 3 1 0
2009 HOU P 52 0 1 1 1 0
2010 DET P 60 0 4 4 0 2
2011 DET P 75 0 3 3 1 0
2012 DET P 71 0 4 0 1 0
2013 DET P 20 0 0 1 0 0
2014 NYN P 21 0 0 0 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 626

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2011 Reliever of the Year Award
2011 This Year in Baseball Closer of the Year MLB.com GIBBY
2008 Reliever of the Month August
2007 Player of the Week Week of 2007-05-19
2007 Reliever of the Year Award
2007 TSN All-Star RP
2007 TSN Reliever of the Year
2003 Player of the Week Week of 2003-06-21

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2014 NYN NL $1,000,000
2012 DET AL $9,000,000
2011 DET AL $7,000,000
2010 DET AL $6,886,052
2009 HOU NL $8,000,000
2008 HOU NL $4,700,000
2007 ARI NL $2,000,000
2006 ARI NL $359,000
2005 ARI NL $335,000
2004 ARI NL $320,000
Total Career Earnings $39,600,052

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2011 Cy Young Award AL 5th 28.0 196 0
2008 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 3.0 448 0
2007 Cy Young Award NL 6th 2.0 160 0
2007 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 19.0 448 0