George Valera reached out for a breaking ball on the outer half.
And the Cleveland Guardians‘ rookie outfielder, looking off-balanced from his left-handed stance, somehow clobbered it.
On Wednesday night, Valera inserted his name in a big way into the minds of Cleveland sports fans with his go-ahead home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Detroit Tigers.
With the AL Central Division hanging in the balance, Valera decided to make his own mark.
MORE: The Guardians have captured Cleveland’s hearts again
But he’s pretty new. Here’s what you need to know:
Who is George Valera?
George Valera is a 24-year old outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians.
He was born in Queens, but when he was 13, he moved to the Dominican Republic.
Valera signed with the Guardians as an international free agent on July 2, 2017, when he was 16.
He didn’t take long to become a highly regarded prospect.
George Valera prospect rankings
Valera was ranked most often by Baseball Prospectus, which had him as a top-100 prospect for four consecutive seasons from 2020-2023.
Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both ranked Valera in their top-100s in 2022 and 2023.
He ranked as high as No. 33 in baseball by BP before the 2022 season.
Valera wasn’t ranked either of the last two years, though, as he lingered a bit longer in the minor leagues than expected.
George Valera stats
Before his big home run Wednesday night, Valera was 7-for-30 at the major league level with a lone homer.
But in the biggest game of his life so far, Valera delivered a gigantic swing.
And if the Guardians keep this run going, Valera’s name will be quickly known by Cleveland fans.
