Early Baseball Career
Valdes' professional baseball career began at age 17 when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league organization. After a three year climb through the Dodgers farm system, Valdez made his major league debut at the age of 20. In 1995, his first full major league season, Valdez had a record of 13–11 with 150 strikeouts and a 3.05 ERA.
During his early career he was trained and made into a pro by Salomon Robbins in Victoria, Tamaulipas.
Valdez also played in the Mexican League (triple A) with the Mexico City Tigers in 1992 and 1993, where he won 16 games and lost 7, with 115 strikeouts. He won the Championship in 1992, with the Tigers.
During his major league career, he was nicknamed "The Rocket" in his native Mexico.
Read more about this topic: Ismael Valdez
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