John Valentin identi­fies with life’s long shots

FARRAH MAFFAI staff John Valentin looks on as Jacob Glickenhaus, 4, of Manalapan, tries to put the bat on the ball during the opening of the Monmouth Baseball Academy in Marlboro.

Holmdel resident opens Monmouth Baseball Academy in Marlboro

BY TIM MORRIS

Staff Writer

In every underdog, John Valentin sees a little bit of himself. He can identify with the long shot.

Even though he enjoyed an 11-year major league career (10 years with the Boston Red Sox and one with the New York Mets), professional baseball was never a sure-thing for the native of Jersey City, who now lives in Holmdel. In fact, it was a very long shot.

A high school star at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City, there were no Division 1-A scholarships waiting for him. College scouts were not beating a path to his door and the phone wasn’t ringing off the hook. Nearby Seton Hall even had the boldness to tell him that he couldn’t play for them. At 5-8, he was considered too small for big-time college baseball.

With no Division I takers, Valentin decided to go to Seton Hall University, South Orange, anyway, because his older brother Arnold was matriculating there. Baseball was still in Valentin’s blood and he was going to try and make the Pirates as a walk-on. One thing was for sure, he wasn’t going to be discouraged by the lack of interest colleges had shown. He, like any long shot, was going to try that much harder.

"My thought process was to go to school and to be a good player," he said. "If I developed, fine. If I didn’t, fine."

A funny thing happened, though, on the way from St. Anthony’s to Seton Hall. The John Valentin who arrived at the East Orange campus that fall wasn’t the same physically as the one who had starred at St. Anthony’s. He went through a growth spurt that summer, climbing from 5-8 to 6-0. With the height came strength.

"It came at the right time," he said of his growth spurt. "There was a significant difference."

As a freshman, Valentin got his first break. The starting shortstop had an arm injury that prevented him from playing in the field. The shortstop was assigned the role of designated hitter, and Valentin, always good with the glove, started at shortstop. He was just a glove man, batting ninth in the order. By his junior year, he was one of the major offensive weapons in the country on a team that included Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio, earning all-American honors and getting drafted in the fifth round in 1988 by the Red Sox. The rest, as they say, is history.

"I really sprouted in college," Valentin said. "When I walked on and started as a freshman, I saw that I could compete. I decided I was just as good as everyone else, and that’s when I started to think I might get drafted."

This winter, Valentin found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time with the Baltimore Orioles and was released in March (the Orioles opted to go with a youth movement).

For the first time since he can remember, he said, there would be no baseball.

"I wanted to see what it was like — life without baseball," he said. "I enjoyed the summer with my family."

With time on his hands, Valentin had an opportunity to bring a longtime goal of his to fruition: giving something back to baseball. He turned to his friend Jay Blackwell, the assistant baseball coach at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

"I had so much time (not playing major league baseball)," said Valentin. "I wanted to get involved and teach kids.

"I used to work out with Jay in the off-season," Valentin said. "We used to always talk about how we could help kids."

The result of their collaboration is the Monmouth Baseball Academy, located at 234 Building No. 3 Boundary Road, Marlboro.

Valentin and Blackwell have developed their own thorough program, based on their personal experiences, that will help players ages 7 and up reach their full potential and get to the next level. Besides the basic fundamentals — hitting, fielding and throwing — Valentin will draw upon his own professional discoveries to give the students much more.

"It requires the intangibles, not just skills," Valentin explained. "There’s the mental approach to the game, how to take care of yourself, eating right, discipline and dedication.

"Players are always looking for an edge and we have it," he added. "I’m going to teach them what I know. I’ve always been a student of the game."

Valentin had himself in mind while developing the MBA’s program. He knows there are hundreds of John Valentins in the area who just need some encouragement and the edge of learning baseball from a major leaguer who has been where they are.

"We came up with a program that will help kids who are like me, underdogs, learn their craft and have fun learning the right skills," he said.

The MBA offers both individual lessons, clinics, team clinics and rentals.

"I’m very excited about the facility," said Valentin.

For more information on the Monmouth Baseball Academy, call (732) 577-2550.

The season away from baseball, while enjoyable, reminded Valentin how much baseball means to him. At 36, he’s not going to hang up his spikes.

"I think that I wanted to retire," he said. "Now, I see no reason to retire. I really feel great. I’ve worked out all summer."

Valentin, who was bothered by nagging injuries late in his career, is healthy now. He plans to play winter ball in Puerto Rico, looking to convince major league teams that he is over his injuries and can still be an asset. He’s confident that he’ll hook up with a team in spring training next year.

He didn’t quit when he was told he couldn’t play college baseball at the Division I-A level, and, true to the advice he will give to youngsters at the MBA about not giving up, he won’t quit now.