I have basically been writing off Valdez’ strong start as one of the many quirks of small sample size but now it is getting to the point where you have to begin to take notice.

After the ‘07 season in which he hit .264/.321/.431 for Kane County he was mentioned as someone who the A’s brass considered to be a sleeper. Looking at his numbers there was not much to get excited about but I figured the people who see him play all the time and are paid to evaluate players must have seen something there.

Then came the disasterous ’08 season where he missed almost the entire year due to a visa issue (I think) and then wished he did miss the whole year when he put up a .169/.195/.183 line in 21 games at Stockton. Seemed like the whole sleeper tag might have been premature but maybe the truncated season messed with him.

He returned to Stockton to start this season and while he was better than ‘08 his .258/.279/.387 line in 33 games was nothing to right home about and as a 23 year old in A+ ball pretty much all the luster was gone from his prospect status. Then the A’s decided he wasn’t being challenged enough and promoted Valdez to AA…

and a whole new Alex Valdez appeared in Midland. He is hitting .317/.375/.500 through 33 games while switching between 2B and 3B. Huh? His .354 BABIP is a bit high but does not account for this massive turnaround. Somehow at the age of 23, in the middle of his 4th year of pro-ball in the States Valdez seems to have decided that he will now exhibit expert control of the zone. Wuh? Lets look at his K and BB rates over the years

2006, 67 games in Vancouver: 5.7% BB-rate 25.3% K-rate (yikes)
2007, 111 games in Kane County: 7.9% BB-rate 21.2% K-rate (signs of improvement)
2008, 21 games in Stockton: 2.7% BB-rate 23.9% K-rate (crap)
2009, 33 games in Stockton: 3.1% BB-rate 24.2% K-rate (crap, part II)
2009, 33 games in Midland: 9.8% BB-rate 14.2% K-rate (Zuh?!??)

I don’t know how to explain it other than crazy small sample size fluke, but after 33 games it becomes harder to write off. If your a guy who hacks at everything and struggles to make contact you may go through a week or so where you face especially bad pitchers who throw it so far outside you have to take a walk or two and are unable to strike you out. But after 33 games most hackers will stop taking walks and strikeout kings will start to pile up the whiffs.

So what is going on here? Just a really extended fluke? Some sort of awesome adjustment that happened in the middle of a season while making what many consider to be the toughest jump in the minors? Valdez’ grabbed up by the bodysnatchers and replaced with a duplicate with great plate discipline? I can’t explain it but I am sure enjoying witnessing it.

Just thought I should make mention of a Fautino sighting. De los Santos pitched in the Arizona Rookie League today going 2 innings with 2 H, 1R, 1BB, 3K. The numbers aren’t important right now, it’s just nice to see him back among the land of the living elbows.