Pitcher Alexander Valiente, a member of Cuba’s reserve for the last World Classic, will sign with the Toronto Blue Jays once the next international signing period begins, on January 15. The deal will include a $75,000 bonus and was revealed by the colleague Francys Romero on his social networks.
The right-hander was one of the seven athletes included in the reserve of the Cuban squad for the great event, along with Pavel Quesada, Raico Santos, Lázaro Armenteros, Marlon Vega, Javier Mirabal and Franklin Quintana. In the case of Armenteros, at that time he was part of the Athletics’ farm system.
Valiente, who is 22 years old, played three seasons in the Cuban National Series with Guantánamo and one Elite League (2022-2023) with Cafetaleros during his time on the island. In 47 outings he had a 3-15 record and a 6.62 ERA in 408 innings. His strikeout-per-walk ratio of 55 to 142 was horrendous and his 2.15 WHIP was abysmal.
Despite his terrible numbers the velocity on his fastball caught the attention of the Cuban brass and he was an essential piece for the island in Sub23 and in competitions for the big club in recent years. His heater sits between 93-96 MPH and has the potential to reach 100, while also sporting a curve, slider and splitter in his arsenal.
At the beginning of 2023, the SoftBank Hawks showed a huge interest in signing the hurler, although it did not materialize he still managed to represented Cuba at the U-23 World Cup in Taiwan, 2022, where he did not allow a run in six innings.
Valiente also saw action in the 2022 Caribbean Cup,, 2023 Serie del Caribe and finally in the Alba Games in Venezuela, 2023. In May 2023 he requested his release from the Cuban Baseball Federation and left the country in August of that same year in route to the Dominican Republic, with the goal of securing a professional contract with an MLB ballclub. Cuban pitchers Lázaro Estrada, Rafael Sánchez, Kendrys Rojas and Yariel Rodríguez are also in the Toronto organization.