Public lifeדני ולנסיה

Danny Valencia

Danny Valencia is an American-Israeli baseball player who played in Major League Baseball for 7 teams and later played for Israel at the Tokyo Olympics.

born 1984Playing for 7 MLB teamsPlaying for Israel at Tokyo OlympicsHitting against left-handed pitchers

Born: 19 September 1984, Miami
Occupation: baseball player
Education: Spanish River Community High School, Andrew Hill High School

Danny Valencia was born in 1984 in Miami

Valencia was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Boca Raton with his sister Laura. His mother Mindy is Jewish, and his father Michael is a Cuban immigrant who converted to Judaism. He was raised Jewish and had a bar mitzvah.

He played shortstop for 4 years at Spanish River High School. He then played at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he was the 2004 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year. He later moved to the University of Miami.

The Minnesota Twins picked him in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. He made his major league debut with the Twins in June 2010 and was named to rookie all-star teams that year. He went on to play for the Red Sox, Orioles, Royals, Blue Jays, Athletics and Mariners, ending his MLB career in 2018 with 96 home runs.

In September 2019 he received Israeli citizenship and joined the Israel national team. He played at the 2019 European Championship and in the Olympic qualifying tournament that Israel won. At the Tokyo Olympics he played first base and tied for the lead with 3 home runs, and he also played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.