Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Pat Valaika was born September 9, 1992, in Valencia, California. He is a third baseman in the MLB.

Valaika attended Hart High School in Newhall, California, and played college baseball at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft.

Valaika was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on September 6, 2016, and made his Major League Baseball debut the same day pinch-running for pinch hitter Tom Murphy in the bottom of the 8th inning during a game against the San Francisco Giants. He made his first defensive appearance on September 8, 2016, replacing third baseman Nolan Arenado in the bottom of the sixth inning, a game where he also got his first plate appearance hitting a double in the bottom of the 8th inning. His first start in the major leagues came against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 24, 2016.