Chris Valaika

Chris Valaika
Cincinnati Reds — No. 3
Utility Infielder
Born: August 14, 1985 (1985-08-14) (age 26) Santa Monica, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 24, 2010 for the Cincinnati Reds
Career statistics (through 2011 Season)
Batting average	.270
Home runs	2
Runs batted in	3
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (2010–present)

Medal record
Men’s baseball
Competitor for  United States
World University Baseball Championship
Gold	2004 Tainan	National team

Christopher Andrew Valaika (born August 14, 1985 in Santa Monica, California) is a major league baseball infielder for the Cincinnati Reds.

Before professional baseball

Valaika attended college at the University of California-Santa Barbara. He was a member of the U.S. National Team, and won the silver medal at the U-18 Pan Am Cup in Curacao-Antilles and the gold medal at the 2004 World University Baseball Championship in Taiwan.

Professional baseball

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Valaika in the third round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, and he started his pro career with the rookie class Billings Mustangs. Chris hit .324 with 22 doubles and eight home runs with the Mustangs, and led the Pioneer League in total bases (143)and hits (89); was second in runs scored (58), RBI (60), and games played (70); and third in extra-base hits (34) and at-bats (275). He compiled a Pioneer League record 32-game hit streak, longest in the Minor Leagues in 2006.

Valaika started 2007 with the low A Dayton Dragons, where he had two 11-game hit streaks. He was Reds' Minor League player of the month for April. His play earned him the starting shortstop for the East Division in the Midwest League All-Star game, as well as a spot on the ML's postseason All-Star team. He was promoted to high-A Sarasota on July 4, where he batted .253 with two home runs and 23 RBI in 57 games.

Valaika spent 2008 with Sarasota and the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts. In a combined 129 games, he batted .317 with 18 HR, 82 RBI, and nine stolen bases. He led all Reds minor leaguers in average and was second in RBI. His performance once again earned him Reds' Minor League player of the month for April. He played for the U.S. in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game, and was a mid-season Florida State League All-Star. He had an 18-game hit streak, which was second longest in the Southern League. Valaika received the Chief Bender Award for Reds' Minor League Player of the Year in 2008.

He played for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .311 with two doubles, a triple, seven home runs, and 16 RBI in 32 games.

On November 20, 2009 the Reds added Valaika to their 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 Draft.^[1]

Valaika made his major league debut on August 24, 2010. In his first career at-bat, Valaika got his first Major League hit - a single off of Santiago Casilla - on the first pitch he saw.

Chris has been called up to the Major League club in the 2011 season as well for a brief stint with the Reds to fill in for the injured Rolen.

Minor League Accolades

2006 PIO Post-season All-Star and MVP, 2006 Baseball America Rookie All-Star, 2006 [MLB.com] Short-Season Offensive Player of the Year, 2007 MID Player of the Week, Mid-season All-Star, and Post-season All-Star, 2008 FSL Player of the Week, and 2008 All-Star Futures Game selection.

References

1. ^ http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091120&content_id=7695098&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• [1]
• [2]

Persondata
Name	Valaika, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1985-14-08
Place of birth	Santa Monica, California
Date of death
Place of death