Friday, February 3, 2023

#237 Jose Valdivielso - Washington Nationals


Jose Valdivielso
Washington Nationals
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  May 22, 1934, Matanzas, Cuba
Acquired:  Sent from the Lubbock Hubbers (West Texas-New Mexico League) to the Washington Senators in an unknown transaction, before 1954 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1955-1956, 1959-1960; Minnesota Twins 1961

Jose Valdivielso played 12 seasons professionally, including five seasons in the majors with the Senators/Twins organization.  Somewhat surprisingly, Valdivielso received MVP votes during his 1955 rookie season in which he batted .221 with a pair of home runs and 28 RBIs in 94 games.  Despite the limited playing time, he finished fourth in league with 22 errors.  He'd appear in 90 games with the Senators in 1956, and then spend the next two-plus seasons playing in the White Sox, Giants, Red Sox and Orioles systems, before returning to the Senators.  In 1960, in the team's last year in Washington, Valdivielso was the club's most frequently used shortstop, making 92 starts at the position but eventually yielding to prospect Zoilo Versalles.  Valdivielso would serve as the back-up to Versalles in 1961, the Minnesota Twins' inaugural year.  For three more seasons, Valdivielso would toil in the minor leagues before retiring in 1964.  In 401 major league games, he batted .219.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #218
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
This is Valdivielso's rookie card and he'd appear in four more Topps flagship sets.  He's demonstrating his bunting form in the action photo, but he only accumulated 15 career sacrifice bunts.  Two of the cartoons on the back highlight his fielding prowess.  While Valdivielso was prone to errors, his Baseball Reference pages shows he was second and first respectively in 1955 and 1956 in range factor per nine innings among shortstops with marks of 5.40 and 5.49.  The middle cartoon panel is missing the letter A in "At" above Charlotte.

1956 Season
Except for a stint in the minor leagues between early May and late June, Valdivielso spent the entire season with the Senators.  He was their opening day shortstop, starting 78 games overall at the position.  Valdivielso appeared in 90 games, batting .236 with career highs in home runs (4) and RBIs (29).  In roughly a month with the Louisville Colonels, he batted .313 in 23 games.

1957 Topps #246
1960 Topps #527
1961 Topps #557
1962 Topps #339

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #237
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1956-1957, 1960-1962
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #339

14 - Valdivielso non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/2/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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