Expectations of Eleven: Jordany Valdespin

[Edgy MD]

Jordany V. (Guzman) Valdespin



Pos: 2b and ss; BL-TR.

Born: December 23, 1987 in San Pedro de Marcoris, DR (He'll be 23 in 2011.)

Birth Context Karma: Within the first week of Jordany's life, Prozac would debut in the United States, and Pope John Paul II would issue the landmark encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social Concern). Is this some sort of existential choice for young Jordany? To medicate his torment or respond with love for mankind? To look outward or to dull it all?

Acquired: Signed by the Mets as an amateur free agent on June 6, 2007.

Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
St. Lucie	FLOR (A+)	65	288	270	40	78	16	3	6	33	13	10	8	45	.289	.323	.437	.760	118	1	6	3	1	0
Binghamton	EL (AA)	28	117	112	8	26	8	0	0	8	4	2	2	23	.232	.243	.304	.547	34	4	0	2	1	0
Mesa	AFL	19	80	76	19	27	3	1	1	11	7	0	4	12	.355	.388	.461	.848	35		0		0
Licey	DWL	8	19	18	1	4	0	0	0	2	1	0	1	4	.222	.263	.222	.485	4		0		0
Totals	All	120	504	476	68	135	27	4	7	54	25	12	15	84	.284	.308	.401	.710	191	5	6	5	2	0

Number: 63. IN the unlikely event that Jordany makes the big league team and retains his offensive left guard jersey number, he'll be the first Met to take the field with those digits, coaches included.

Wife: Doesn't look like it. For now, he's married to his skills.

Nickname: I call him Cabeza Caliente. He has a history of clashing with authority, but I'm trying to file that in a drawer marked "Bernazard Era."

Namesakes: Are you kidding?

Best Day in 2010: Hard to say, as game results are hard to review all in one place, but check out the acrobatic tag here.

Last Word: Valdespin may just be the secondbaseman of the future, but he has too many guys to climb over in this camp. If he didn't show you much in AA, maybe he made up for it by treating the AFL as his plaything, before straining a forearm, wrapping early, and getting little action in the Dominican. He's likely to return to Bingo and spring training is about showing that, no way, he belongs in Buffalo. Most likely he'll get there soon enough, but not out of spring training. In yesterday's game, he showed some excellent range and ripped a game-tying RBI double in the ninth. Awesome!

What do you expect of Jordany Valdespin in 2011?

[Frayed Knot]

With all the 2Bmen and potential 2Bmen in front of him, I don't think we'll be seeing someone who has barely played above A+ ball in a ML uni this year.

[Fman99]

I expect him to wear his hat askew-like.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

A kid like this should learn to take a walk or two.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

If the one at-bat I've ever seen him take is any indication he's gonna be one of the greatest players in baseball history. He really crushed a double on a line over the right fielder's head.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Frayed Knot wrote: With all the 2Bmen and potential 2Bmen in front of him, I don't think we'll be seeing someone who has barely played above A+ ball in a ML uni this year.

I was thinking the same thing. Even if Castillo is released and Emaus returned to Toronto, there's still Turner and Tejada above him if there's any need for an in-season DL callup. Valdespin's best chance at playing for the Mets would probably be after September 1, but I don't think that even that is likely.

My guess is that he'll start at either Binghamton or Buffalo, and that he'll finish the year in Buffalo.

[Willets Point]

I expect I'm not going to learn how to pronounce Jordany Valdespin.

[Edgy MD]

I think we run the middle syllable and go with JORD-nee.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Is it a J sound or an H sound? It could be Hordney, or Hor-Danny.

[Willets Point]

Edgy DC wrote: I think we run the middle syllable and go with JORD-nee.

And his surname?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

VAL-deh-SPEEN

[Willets Point]

Gracias.

[MFS62]

This year I expect him to start changing his "good field - he might hit" tag to a "Good field - looks like he can hit" tag. After that, maybe part of the Mets DP duo (with Tejada) for many years to come.

LAter

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

His name makes him sound like a South American Harry Potter character.

[bmfc1]

He made plays in each of the first two games that had the announcers raving.

[Edgy MD]

The correct answer is that he goes 1-6 with a double.

Plays two months in Bingo and three in Buff.