WICHITA, Kan. – Danny Valencia has established himself as a versatile Major Leaguer who can hit and his 2016 campaign has earned him the designation as the 2017 NBC World Series Graduate of the Year.
Valencia has made his name in Major League Baseball by hitting for average and bringing in a versatile defensive skill set. It’s no surprise that his 2016 campaign saw Valencia hit .287 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI while playing five different positions for the Oakland Athletics.
Valencia also scored a career high 72 runs which was second on the A’s, while his batting average led all Oakland hitters. Among Valencia’s contributions during his lone season in Oakland was a 3-5 performance on May 15th, 2016 in Tampa Bay in which Valencia powered the A’s to a 7-6 win thanks to his three homer game.
Valencia was a member of the National Baseball Congress’ Alaska Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Baseball League in 2005. That summer he was coming off an impressive sophomore campaign at the University of Miami (FL) in which he hit .300 with 63 RBI and played first base. He played third base for the Glacier Pilots in anticipation of his transition back to the hot corner as a junior when he replaced Ryan Braun.
Valencia was drafted in the 19th round of the 2006 draft by the Minnesota Twins and made his Major League debut in 2010. He became the first Twins player in 49 years of the franchise to have his first major league home run be a grand slam.
The NBC World Graduate of the Year Award is based on the previous season statistics. The GOY must have played in the NBC World Series or played on an NBC affiliated team.
The 83rd NBC World Series will be played July 22–August 6, with all games being played at Historical Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. To order individual game tickets go to www.selectaseat.com or call 316-977-9400.
About NBC: The NBC World Series is the largest and the oldest continuous sporting event in the United States. This non-profit 501c(3) foundation operates under the supervision of a 16-member volunteer board of directors. To learn more visit www.nbcbaseball.com.
