He and his wife, Amy, make their offseason home in North Babylon, NY...graduated from Deer Park (NY) High School in 1997...played baseball at Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, AL...at JDCC was named to the NJCAA All-Region XXII squad after going 8-1, 2.56 with seven saves.
2005
Valentine began the season with the Reds, posting a 0-1 record and 9.53 ERA in 12 appearances before being optioned to Triple-A Louisville on May 6. He went 0-7 with a 5.70 ERA and three saves over 49 appearances for the Bats. The Reds recalled him on Sept. 5, and he appeared in four games after that promotion, giving up one earned run over three innings of work.
2004
Among the National League rookie
pitching leaders ranked third in saves (4)...became the
Reds' closer late in the season after Danny Graves became
ill with strep throat...earned 3 saves in his last 6
apps...beginning 9/1 went 1-0-3, 1.72 in his last 14 apps of the season...overall converted all 4 save opps...began the
season at Louisville and went 2-2, 6.21 in 9 starts there before he was recalled on 5/30...that day made his only Major
League start and suffered the 6-2 loss at Mtl (1ip, 2h, 3r, 3er, 5bb-1int, 0k)...was the shortest outing by a Reds pitcher
making his first ML start since RHP Carlos Almanzar suffered an 8-2 loss on 6/10/02 at Tex (0.2ip, 2h, 3r, 3er,
1bb)...took the spot in the rotation vacated by the injured Paul Wilson, who missed a start with a tight right
groin...made another appearance, a relief stint on 6/7 at Oak (3.1ip, 5h, 4r, 4er, 2bb, 3k, 2hr), before he was optioned
back to Louisville on 6/14...after his return to Louisville made all 21 of his apps for the Bats in relief (3-3, 3.33)...on 8/
14 was recalled again from Louisville to take the roster spot again vacated by Wilson, who went on the disabled
list...spent the rest of the season with the Reds and posted a 3.96era in his last 22 apps, all in relief...earned his first
Major League save in the 2-0 victory on 8/20 at Ari...earned his first Major League win in the 4-3, 10-inning victory on
8/24 vs StL...late in the season was bothered by a cyst on his right wrist but threw a perfect inning in the season finale
vs the Pirates (2k).
2003
Spent most of the season at Class AAA, where combined he went 2-3-5, 4.10 in 49 relief apps for
Sacramento and Louisville...prior to his 7/30 acquisition from the Athletics went 1-3-4, 4.82 in 40 relief apps at
Sacramento...made 1 appearance for Louisville before he was promoted to the Reds on 8/5 but did not pitch in a
game before he was optioned back to Louisville on 8/12...after he joined Louisville on 8/12 went 1-0-1, 1.08 in 6 relief
apps before he was recalled again on 8/22, after Scott Sullivan was traded to the White Sox...made both of his Major
League apps, on 8/24 at Hou and 8/25 vs Mil, before he returned to Louisville on 8/26 as 1 of 8 transactions that
day...spent the rest of the season with the Bats and appeared in 2 more games there...on 8/24 at Hou made his Major
League debut (1ip, 2h, 1er, 0bb, 0k)...on 8/25 vs Mil recorded his first career strikeout (Eddie Perez)...pitched for
Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League (14g, 1-0-5, 3.46, 13ip, 11h, 7bb, 16k)...led the AFL in saves and led the
Scottsdale staff in apps.
Career highlights: In 2002 was a Southern League All-Star, a TOPPS Class AA All-Star and the Rolaids Minor
League Relief Pitcher of the Year...with 36 saves that year led all minor league pitchers and tied the SL single-season
record...was Southern League Pitcher of the Week for 8/9-8/15, 2002...in 2001 was a mid-season South Atlantic
League All-Star and the league's Rolaids Relief Man for April.
2002
Rated by
Baseball America as a First-Team All-Star and the No.
16 Prospect in the Southern League...was also named to the TOPPS Double-A All-Star
squad...spent his first season at Double-A Birmingham...tied the SL record for
the most saves in a single-season (36) set by Sox farmhand Edwin Almonte in 2001...led all minor league pitchers in
saves...earned the Rolaids Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award...converted his last 24 save chances from June
8-September 10, including three postseason outings...was a SL mid, postseason and Double-A All-Star selection...was one
of five minor-leaguers with 10 or more saves in July (11)...yielded one home run in 59.1 innings, an average of 0.15 per nine
innings...did not allow a hit in 32 of his 55 appearances...earned SL Pitcher of the Week honors for August 9-15...opponents
hit .173 (36 for 208) overall, right-handers .149 and lefties .216...compiled scoreless streaks of 7.2, 8.0 and 8.1 innings...made
three relief appearances for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League (3.0 ip, 8 h, 3 r, 3 er, 2 bb, 2 so).
2001
Tossed
33.1 consecutive scoreless innings between Single-A Kannapolis and Single-A Winston-Salem, the longest scoreless streak
in the minor leagues...posted the second-best average against (.152) and the third-best average hits per nine innings (4.6)
among relievers in the minor leagues...finished tied for eighth among Single-A pitchers in appearances (57)...right-handers
hit .139 (23 for 165); lefties .176 (16 for 91)...averaged 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings (83 so in 75.1 ip)...opponents hit .109
(14 for 129) overall with runners on base...was named the South Atlantic League Rolaids Relief Man for April after posting
seven saves in 11 appearances at Kannapolis...earned midseason All-Star honors...finished 10th in the SAL Rolaids stand-ings
despite being promoted to Winston-Salem at the end of the first half.
2000
Tied for fifth in the Appalachian League in
saves (7) and games finished (16) at Advanced Rookie Bristolb&the seven saves tied for eighth in the organization...opponents
hit .163 (14 for 86)...averaged 10.8 strikeouts (30 so) per nine inningsb&converted five consecutive save opportunities from
August 17-27.
1999
Went 0-0 with a 5.57 ERA in stops at Rookie Tucson and Bristol.
