| John Valente | |
|---|---|
| St. John's Red Storm | |
| Infielder / Coach | |
| Born: (1995-06-23)June 23, 1995 (age 30) New Rochelle, New York, U.S. | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
John Valente (born June 23, 1995) is an Italian-American formerprofessional baseballinfielder. He is an assistant coach for theSt. John's Red Storm baseball team.
Valente attendedNew Rochelle High School inNew Rochelle, New York, andSt. John's University, where he playedcollege baseball for theSt. John's Red Storm. During the2018 season, Valente was named theBig East Conference's Player of the Year, the first St. John's player to receive the award.[1] He led the league with a .363batting average, and recorded a career high five home runs, 40 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, while striking out only nine times in 204 at-bats. He was also named a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection and a finalist for theSenior CLASS Award.[2][3] On May 10, 2018, he recorded his 200th career hit, becoming the 23rd player in program history to reach the milestone.[4] He helped lead the Red Storm to four winning seasons, three 40-win seasons, and a pair of Big East Championships. He finished his career at St. John's with a career batting average of .353, and 218 hits, which ranks 13th most in program history.[5][6]
TheDetroit Tigers selected Valente in the 21st round, with the 615th overall selection, of the2018 Major League Baseball draft.[7] During the 2021 season in 66 games with theErie SeaWolves, Valente ranked among the team leaders with a .301 batting average, .363on-base percentage and .808on-base plus slugging (OPS) with 69 hits and 22 RBI.[8] On April 4, 2022, he was promoted to the Tigers'Triple-A affiliate, theToledo Mud Hens.[9] During the 2022 season in 82 games with the Mud Hens, he posted career highs with 37 runs scored, 26 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, along with a .293/.355/.390slash line.[6] On July 28, 2023, Valente retired from baseball.[10]
On August 31, 2023, Valente was named an assistant coach for St. John's University, where he will serve as hitting coach.[11]
Valente is a member ofItaly national baseball team's roster at the2023 World Baseball Classic.[12][13]