Former Red Sox shortstop hired by the Astros as minor league special advisor
Former Red Sox shortstop John Valentin has been hired by the Houston Astros as a minor league special advisor, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Valentin played 10 seasons for the Red Sox and had a memorable career in Boston. The former shortstop is the only Major Leaguer to have turned an unassisted triple play, hit for the cycle and hit three homers in a game.
The New Jersey native made his MLB debut for the Red Sox against the Rangers on July 27, 1992, he picked up his first career hit in the game, an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. His first career homer came off Mariners’ hurler Mike Schooler that same season.
On July 8, 1994, Valentin turned the 10th unassisted triple play in big league history. Valentin was playing shortstop, catching Marc Newfield’s liner, he tagged second base and then tagged out Keith Mitchell who was attempting to advance to second on the line drive.
Following 10 seasons playing in front of the Green Monster, Valentin left Boston in the winter of 2001 and signed with the Mets. He would play 114 games in Queens, hitting .240 with three homers, 30 RBIs and a .695 OPS.
In 11 total seasons, Valentin hit .279 with 1093 hits, 124 homers and 558 RBIs. Following his playing career, Valentin joined the Dodgers organization as a hitting coach and quickly became the manager of their High-A affiliate. He bounced around the minors as a coach holding various roles.
With the Astros, he will be one of three minor league advisors, working alongside former outfielder Jay Bruce and Chuck Caufield.
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