Breyvic Valera of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 7, 2017 in San Diego, California. Valera will play for the Toros de Tijuana in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol in 2024. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
Venezuelan journeyman infielder Breyvic Valera will play in the 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol regular season for the Toros de Tijuana, Beisbolpuro, a baseball site from Mexico, reported on Monday.
Valera, 31, was born in Montalban, Venezuela, and currently playing for the Bravos de Margarita during the 2023-24 winter league season in Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional in his 10th season with the organization.
Valera has played in 13 games during the 2023-24 season with the Bravos. In 66 plate appearances, he is batting .333 with 16 hits, two doubles, one triple, five RBI, 16 walks, and three strikeouts.
In 10 seasons in the winter leagues in LVBP with Bravos de Margarita, Valera has played in 395 games with 1,573 plate appearances, batting .292 with 390 hits, 57 doubles, 20 triples, 11 home runs, 138 RBI, 55 stolen bases, 191 walks, 97 strikeouts and a .770 OPS.
He was a free agent this past season and did not play in the summer of 2023.
Valera played the 2022 season in Nippon Professional Baseball with the Orix Buffaloes and batted .205 in 37 games with 127 plate appearances, recording 23 hits, five doubles, one home run, six RBI, 13 walks, and 11 strikeouts.
Valera also played with the Buffaloes farm team for 23 games during the 2022 season, making 64 plate appearances and batting .276 with 16 hits, six RBI, four walks, and eight strikeouts.
He has not played in Major League Baseball since the 2021 season with the Toronto Blue Jays. Valera split time between Triple-A Buffalo and the Blue Jays that year.
During the 2021 season, Valera played in 39 games with the Blue Jays and batted .253 in 97 plate appearances, recording 22 hits, six doubles, one home run, 15 RBI, eight walks and 12 strikeouts.
Valera played in 41 games with Triple-A Buffalo and batted .313 with 180 plate appearances, 47 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 28 RBI, seven stolen bases, 24 walks, and 19 strikeouts.
Valera has played four seasons in the majors, appearing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles in 2018, the New York Yankees in 2019, and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 and 2021.
In his four seasons in Major League Baseball, Valera has played in 93 games with 235 plate appearances and batted .236 with 49 hits, eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 29 RBI, 20 walks, and 30 strikeouts alongside a .624 OPS.
The Liga Mexicana de Beisbol has yet to announce their start date for the 2024 regular season. The LMB’s Invernal League which started on October 12 will have its last day of their regular season on November 26. The 2023 LMB Invernal Mexicana’s games are played from Thursday through Sunday.
