Player: Dauris Valdez
Position: Right-Handed Pitcher
Height: 6’8 Weight: 254 Age: 25 Bats/Throws: R/R Current Level: AA Tennessee
MLB.com Rank: 30th in Cubs System
Acquired: April 5, 2021 in trade from Padres for James Norwood
Hometown: Bani, Dominican Republic
The Cubs acquired Valdez right after the beginning of the 2021 MLB season from San Diego in a deal that sent James Norwood back the other way. Valdez is an intriguing prospect that could be a bullpen option going forward in Chicago. He’s an imposing figure on the mound at 6’8 , 254, but has been referred to in some scouting reports as bad-bodied. One things for sure; he can bring it. He breaks triple digits consistently and has been as high as 102 mph.
The big issue for Valdez has been control. He has lowered his walk percentage each of the last two seasons (14.6% to 12.2% to 11.3%), so there is some hope there, but those are still some very high walk numbers. The short description of Valdez is a big reliever who throws hard and struggles with control; scouts have compared him to Mauricio Cabrera.
Pitching Repertoire
Valdez has an electric fastball; it sits in the high 90s and reaches triple digits consistently. He uses a high 80’s slider as a second option and a changeup that scouts say is solid and proves as one more thing to keep hitters off-balance.
The only thing holding back Valdez from a major league bullpen role is control. That’s obviously a big problem, but he’s shown promise and improvement and he’s a massive 6’8 with a triple-digit fastball and plus slider. When you factor in the inability to control the ball as well as he’d like, that’s sure to make for an uncomfortable at-bat for hitters.
Dauris Valdez Stats
