At long last, through underwhelming play and a multitude of injuries, George Valera is finally getting his crack at the Major Leagues in Cleveland.
News broke on Sunday that Valera will be the first of Cleveland’s September call-ups, and to say this has been a long time coming for Valera is an understatement. Valera was signed as a 16 year-old out of the Dominican Republic, and he tore through the lower levels of the minor leagues showcasing game power no other prospect in the system boasted. After
reaching Triple-A, Valera saw some of his swing holes exploited with impunity, and it forced him to go back to the drawing board. Later in the 2024 season, it looked as if Valera had figured out his path to the majors: a strong-side platoon bat built to crush right-handed pitching, but his season was cut short by a brutal rupture of the patellar tendon.
Now, 24, Valera is finally getting his shot. Here’s what you need to know about him.
Valera plays the corner outfield, primarily right field, and currently ranks as my number 30 Guardians prospect overall. The patellar tendon rupture set back what looked to be a player figuring out his strengths, building upon them, and carving out a path to the majors. Upon his return to the Columbus lineup, Valera looked as if he didn’t miss a beat. Valera was slashing .255/.346/.457 across 107 plate appearances with the Clippers, and his success against right-handed pitchers will be a driving force behind any success he has with Cleveland.
| Handedness | wOBA | Z-Con% | Air xwOBA | Air Pull% | Whiff% | Chase% | EV90 |
| RHP | .371 | 84% | .541 (27 BBE) | 20% | 29.2% | 24% | 105.5 |
| LHP | .250 | 75% | .983 (3 BBE) | 16.7% | 44.4% | 23.9% | 93.0 |
As you can see above, Valera’s success against right-handed pitchers is a clear strength. He hits the ball hard consistently, and combines that power with both optimal pull-side launch and sub-30% whiff and chase rates. Valera is going to swing and miss, but he isn’t going to chase all too much. On top of that, Valera has hit velocity very well. Here are his numbers in Columbus over the last two seasons:
| Pitch Type | xwOBA | xwOBACON | Whiff% | Hard Hit% | Barrel% |
| 4-seam (≤93 mph) | .392 | .412 | 27.1% | 55.2% | 6.9% |
| 4-seam (≥94 mph) | .473 | .643 | 27.8% | 72.5% | 27.5% |
| Sinker (≤93 mph) | .306 | .288 | 19.4% | 34.6% | 3.8% |
| Sinker (≥94 mph) | .316 | .298 | 15.0% | 60.0% | 10.0% |
| Slider | .236 | .313 | 37.2% | 30.0% | 6.0% |
| Sweeper | .232 | .299 | 26.1% | 42.9% | 14.3% |
| Curveball | .173 | .268 | 22.9% | 27.3% | 4.5% |
| Changeup | .316 | .349 | 30.2% | 37.5% | 8.3% |
It really is all gas, no brakes for Valera. It’s not all that common to see a hitter at the Triple-A hitter not only hit higher velo at the success rate he does, but have more success against it than fastballs thrown 93 mph or lower.
As a fielder, it’s tough to read what Valera can be when he spends half his games at Huntington Park, but overall, he’s an above average right fielder who gets solid reads on flyballs. His overall speed has taken a bit of a hit following the knee injury, but this isn’t too terribly different than the player we saw a year ago. His recovery has been a resounding success, and I am beyond excited to see what he has in store.
