Valentin Makes The Difference

Ben Shpigel at The New York Times writes about Jose Valentin and his role in the club house:

If Carlos Delgado led quietly and by example and if Julio Franco consciously took on the role of clubhouse sage, then Valentín’s style sits in the middle.

“He’s a baseball guy if I’ve ever seen one,” Manuel said. “He’s the baseball equivalent of a gym rat.”

Valentín, a switch-hitter, stopped by Shea Stadium occasionally but watched the games mostly from his apartment, suffering along with them and wondering whether he would have made a difference. It is natural, he said, to think that if he were healthy, he could have done something that would have staved off the collapse. Asked to clarify, Valentín, 38, said he felt that the team, and particularly Reyes, could have benefited from his presence.

“I would have been the person who went to him to calm him down,” said Valentín, a second baseman who has played other infield positions and in the outfield.

Reyes said: “I don’t want to say for sure that he would have made a difference. But he’s a good guy, he’s always talked to me when I’ve done something wrong, and I know that everyone here likes him.”