| Dave Valle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Valle with theSeattle Marinersc. 1987 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1960-10-30)October 30, 1960 (age 64) Bayside, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 1984, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1996, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .237 |
| Home runs | 77 |
| Runs batted in | 350 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
David Valle (/ˈvæli/; born October 30, 1960) is anAmerican former professionalbaseball player.[1] He played as acatcher inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSeattle Mariners,Boston Red Sox,Milwaukee Brewers, andTexas Rangers from1984 to1996.[1] He attendedHoly Cross High School inFlushing, New York. In 1995, Valle foundedEsperanza International, amicrofinance organization that serves families in poverty in theDominican Republic.[2] He's been an on air analyst for MLB Network since 2009, including appearing on MLB Now and MLB Tonight.[3]
At age seventeen, Valle was selected by theSeattle Mariners in the second round of the1978 MLB draft.[4] He played in theminor leagues for seven seasons before making his MLB debut at age 23 with the Mariners in1984 on September 7.[5][1][6] For the next two seasons, he split his playing time with the Mariners and theCalgary Cannons of thePacific Coast League, producing a .312batting average with 21home runs and 71runs batted in with Calgary during the1986 season.[6]
Valle ledAmerican League catchers in1990 with a .997fielding percentage, committing only twoerrors in 102 games.[7] He had his best offensive season in1993, hitting for a .258 batting average with thirteenhome runs and 63runs batted in.[1] He also led American League catchers in 1993 with 881putouts, 57 baserunnerscaught stealing, a 7.05range factor, finished second toMike Stanley with a .995 fielding percentage, and finished third inassists behindPat Borders andIván Rodríguez.[8] Early in the season on April 22, Valle caughtChris Bosio's 97-pitchno-hitter.[9][10]
Valle became afree agent after the1993 season,[5] and signed a one-year contract in late December with theBoston Red Sox,[11][12] who traded him in June1994 to theMilwaukee Brewers for outfielderTom Brunansky.[13][14] He signed a two-year contract in December with theTexas Rangers,[15] serving as a reserve catcher for the next two seasons tohall of famerIván Rodríguez. The Rangers won theAL West in1996. Rangers broadcasterEric Nadel has credited Valle for calling a players only meeting during that season that helped turn around their season when they were struggling. That season would be the only one in Valle's career in which his club qualified for the playoffs. However, he did not appear in theALDS that the Rangers lost to theNew York Yankees. Valle retired in1997 while with theAtlanta Braves organization.
In a 13-year career, Valle played in 970games, accumulating 658hits in 2,775at bats for a .237 career batting average along with 77 home runs and 350 runs batted in.[1] A solid defensive catcher, he ended his career with a .992 fielding percentage.[1]
Valle was acolor analyst for Seattle Mariners television and radio broadcasts from1997 through2013. Beginning in2007, he co-hosted the post-game show on the Mariners' radio network. In 2009, he became one of the analysts on theMLB Network'sMLB Tonight show. In2011, he began co-hosting the Mariner pre-game and post-game shows onRoot Sports. After a one-year hiatus to manage in the minors, he returned to the M's post-game show in2015. Valle joined theTexas Rangers' announcing crew as an analyst for selectBally Sports Southwest telecasts in2022.[16]Valle joined the YES Network as a pre and post game analyst in 2024. Beginning in 2025, the Seattle Mariners brought back Dave Valle to serve as a TV analyst.[17]
Valle interviewed for the vacantMariners managerial opening in November 2013,[18] ultimately filled byLloyd McClendon.[19]
For the 2014 season, Valle was themanager of the Class AEverett AquaSox, the Mariners' nearby affiliate in theshort-seasonNorthwest League.[20]
Esperanza International is a charitable organization founded in 1995 by Valle and his wife Victoria.[21] It is a Christian development organization focused on serving the most impoverished families in theDominican Republic andHaiti through microfinance initiatives, healthcare, education, and water.[22] As of 2015, Esperanza has served over 200,000 people on the island ofHispaniola.[23]