Like Father, Like Son

MIDLAND, Mich. - Jesmuel Valentin is no stranger to high-profile baseball talent. He was high school teammates with Carlos Correa, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 MLB Draft and the top prospect in the Houston Astros farm system. Since joining the Great Lakes Loons on April 25, he has played with six players listed in Baseball America's top 30 prospects in the Dodgers farm system, including Corey Seager, the Dodgers No. 3 prospect.

Valentin's uncle, Javier Valentin, was a catcher that played in the Major Leagues from 1997-2008 for the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Cincinnati Reds.

The 18-year-old Valentin is also a pretty talented player in his own right. He was a supplemental first round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, taken by the team from Chavez Ravine with the 51st overall pick. Valentin is ranked No. 14 by Baseball America in their top 30 Dodgers prospects.

However, the most accomplished baseball player that the young Valentin has been around is likely his father: Jose Valentin.

The elder Valentin was never an All-Star, but he was a starter at the Major League level for a decade. After getting traded by the Padres to the Brewers in the trade that sent Gary Sheffield to San Diego, he made his MLB debut with the Brewers in 1992 and took over as the starting shortstop in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Valentin was Milwaukee's starting shortstop until he was traded to the White Sox prior to the 2000 season. He started at shortstop for five seasons in Chicago. After an injury in 2005, he bounced back in 2006 to earn the starting job at second base for the New York Mets, having one of the best seasons of his career at the age of 36, helping them get within a game of the World Series.

Jose Valentin is now in his second season as the manager of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, a Padres Single-A affiliate and a member of the Midwest League. Along with the Loons, the TinCaps are in the Midwest League Eastern Division and the Valentins will have to compete against each other throughout the 2013 campaign.

"There's nothing more I can ask for, him playing in the same league that I manage in," Jose said. "It's been pretty special for us. And now I'm going to be managing against him. How I'm going to feel, that's something we're going to have to wait and see. But I'm managing the other team and I want to win."

The two talk on a regular basis and knew they would have to compete against each other at times this season. For Jesmuel, playing for the Loons this summer is a step up from his spot with the Arizona League Dodgers last season.

"The difference is the teams here are much better and there's more competition," Jesmuel said. "Playing over in (the Arizona League), you play in front of almost no fans. Here, we have more energy and we feel more like baseball players. We have a better locker room, our own locker, our own stadium, we travel to different cities. Everything is just a lot better."

Jesmuel was not immediately assigned to the Loons out of spring training because he broke a bone in his hand, forcing him to rehab before he came to Midland in late April.

The Valentins are from Puerto Rico and still call the island home in the offseason. Jesmuel played his high school ball at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Gurabo, P.R. before following a path carved by his father, uncle and grandfather, a path into professional baseball.

"That was something that was really nice to see, your son following in your footsteps," Jose exclaimed. "He always grew up around the big leagues and players and things like that."

Jesmuel grandfather (Jose's dad), Jose Valentin Sr. was a pretty good player in his own right. Although, he never played in the Major Leagues, Jesmuel said that he certainly had some great moments on the diamond.

"He was one of the best catchers who played semi-pro and he also played with Roberto Clemente with the national team," Jesmuel said. "So he's just well known as a catcher back home. I know he played a lot. He's managing 13 and 14-year-olds back home. He's just like my dad, they both love being at the park."

Javier Valentin, Jesmuel's uncle, also played a big role in Jesmuel's development. After he finished his career in the big leagues, he coached Jesmuel while Jose was still playing and again after Jose left for Fort Wayne.

"My junior year, I was with my dad all year," Jesmuel said. "But then my dad left for Fort Wayne, so I was with my uncle and grandfather during my senior year. They were always the ones with me practicing; they were one of the big helps for me, not just being a better baseball player, but a better person too."

The 18-year-old Puerto Rican native has had limited coaching from his father, but that did not stop him from picking up the game and eventually dealing with the pressure of having a father who had a successful Major League career.

"I never really coached him too much and never taught him how to throw a ball or swing a bat," Jose said. "He just picked it up from watching. That's just the way he grew up, being around baseball."

"At the beginning I felt a little bit of pressure because I thought I needed to do a lot of things better than he did," Jesmuel explained. "But then I just learned and became more mature and am trying to be myself. He tells me I have more potential than he had at my age."

Not every player that is in professional baseball has a father that started for a decade in the big leagues. Jesmuel has done his best to model his game after his dad.

"He always made the plays in the field to help the team," Jesmuel said. "Everybody liked that he was a great person, both on and off the field. Baseball-wise, I think I'm more active and I have more power than he did. But he was really good in the field."

During his career, the elder Valentin played over 100 games at every spot on the infield and played 50 games in the outfield. He was an extremely versatile ballplayer and that is also something that Jesmuel has added to his arsenal.

"Right now, I'm an everyday-second baseman," Jesmuel said. "I was drafted as a shortstop and I've played third base. When I'm playing games for fun, I love to play center field. To me, if they need somebody to play somewhere, I will be there. I'll give 100 percent at any position to help the team win."

The Valentin family also consists of Jesmuel's mom and his two siblings. When Jesmuel was drafted by the Dodgers, his mom gave him Jose's Dodgers jersey (with Valentin on the back). However, as in most families with fathers that coach, Jose is tougher on Jesmuel than his mom is.

"Oh my dad (is tougher on me)," Jesmuel said. "My mom just worries about how I'm doing. But my dad, during games, he goes online and watches them or watches the videos of my at-bats. He tells me, "you're doing this," or "you're doing that," which is hard. I always wondered when I was little why he was so hard on me. But since I've matured and grown up, I'm so glad he did those things for me."