At the beginning of 2006, second base was a major weakness for the Mets. They received little production from both Anderson Hernandez (.407 OPS) and Kazuo Matsui (.505 OPS), so on May. 13, Willie Randolph decided to make a change. He turned to 36-year-old, Jose Valentin, who unexpectedly became a vital piece for the NL East Division Champions with a .271/.330/.490 triple slash line and 18 homeruns in 432 plate appearances.
During the Mets division clinching victory over the Marlins, Valentin delivered one of the best moments of the season. He homered twice during the 4-0 win, electrifying the Shea Stadium crowd. “That was something,” Valentin said to reporters, recalling the fan reaction. “That was a great feeling.”
Valentin’s 2006 season seems even more impressive if you review the analytics. According to Fangraphs, Valentin tied Endy Chavez for the fourth highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) on the team at 3.0, ahead of players like Tom Glavine (2.9) Carlos Delgado (2.8), Paul Lo Duca (2.5), and Pedro Martinez (2.3). While WAR isn’t a perfect measurement, it does show that Valentin may have been more valuable than we realized back in 2006 – a time when advanced statistics weren’t as widely publicized as they are today.
Valentin’s WAR ranks so high because of his defense. According to Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Valentin saved 15 runs with his glove in 2006. His 15 DRS was the highest on the team, and it tied him for fourth among all MLB second basemen (minimum 700 innings). His 11.1 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) also ranked fourth in the majors.
These strong defensive numbers are consistent with his career norms. As a shortstop and third baseman for the White Sox from 2000-2004, Valentin ranked 19th among all MLB players with a 21.8 UZR, which shows his that his 2006 numbers weren’t just a fluke.
“… And all the pitchers have tremendous confidence in him when he’s behind you on defense,” Valentin’s former White Sox teammate, Mike Sirotka, once said to reporters. “Guys like [starter] Jim Parque and I depend a great deal on the left side of the infield. There’s not a hitter up there we’re scared to pitch inside to get a ground ball.”
It’s impressive that Valentin continued to excel at defense in 2006, even as he reached the part of his career when most players tend to lose some of their quickness and agility.
After batting .170 with a .591 OPS in 2005 with the Dodgers, it looked like Valentin’s best days were behind him. The Mets signed him to a minor league deal that offseason to be their utility player, but he exceeded everyone’s expectations with one last impressive season.
While Valentin went hitless in his first 15 at-bats of the year – and batted .167 over his first 32 plate appearances – he turned everything around with his 2-for-4 performance against Milwaukee on May. 13. Starting with that game, Valentin batted .280/.341/.517 for the rest of the season with 18 home runs, 60 RBIs, and six stolen bases.
His hot hitting transformed what was one of the weakest positions on the team into a strength. He solidified an already potent offense that ranked third in the NL, offering solid production for the lower half of the lineup with a .344 wOBA and 106 wRC+.
On several occasions, his power would lift the entire team, like it did during his 7 RBI game on July. 8. Valentin crushed a first inning grand slam, and he then rocketed a three-run triple to right field in the second inning to jumpstart the Mets’ 17-3 drubbing over the Marlins.
While it was a solid overall season for Valentin, it ended in disappointment. He began to slump after his two-home run performance against Florida, batting .219 with a .602 OPS over his final 11 games. This slump would only foreshadow what was to come in the playoffs.
Even though the Mets swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, Valentin remained ice old with no hits in the entire series. His struggles continued in the NL championship series, as he hit only .250 with a .667 OPS. While he still managed to drive in five runs that series, he missed out on a golden opportunity in game seven. In a 1-1 tie with the bases loaded, Valentin struck out swinging against Jeff Suppan in the sixth inning. As we all know, the Mets would go on to lose that game to the Cardinals in heartbreaking fashion.
Some fans still look back negatively on Valentin for that strikeout, but that one misstep shouldn’t overshadow how good he was for most of the season. Valentin was scorching hot all summer, so he was bound to hit a slump. Unfortunately, that slump came at the worst possible time for the Mets.
The Mets brought back Valentin on a one-year contract with an option for 2008, but he was unable to recapture the same magic in 2007. He batted .241/.302/.373 with three homeruns, and he was limited to just 51 games due to injury. He broke his leg on July 20 after fouling a pitch off his leg, which cost him the remainder of the season. He would never play another game in the majors.
Despite the disappointing end to his career, he still finished with solid numbers over his 16 MLB seasons. He belted 249 home runs, drove in 816 RBI, stole 136 bases, and accumulated 30.3 WAR. He would have been much more appreciated in today’s era because analysts would now look past his .243 average, and they would value him more for his power, patience, and defensive ability.
While he only had one good season with the Mets, it was certainly a memorable one. He came seemingly out of nowhere to help the Mets win the NL East in what was an exciting and thrilling year of Mets’ baseball.
