Top Cleveland Guardians prospect George Valera incited a bench-clearing brawl after appearing to shove an umpire and taking a swipe at an opposing player Thursday night.Â
Valera, playing for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, was 1-for-1 in the sport and stepped in throughout the third inning of what was a 6-2 Columbus win over the Nashville Sounds.
While standing within the batters’ box, he appeared to take exception to something and began yelling and pointing at Nashville catcher Alex Jackson because the backstop was giving signs to starting pitcher Justin Jarvis.
Because the situation escalated, home plate umpire Tanner Moore stepped in between the 2, but Valera, who put his finger inside Jackson’s mask, looked as if he shoved Moore with the intention to get on the Sounds’ catcher again.Â
That’s when things ratcheted up as Valera took a swing at Jackson, and the benches from either side cleared.Â
Valera, MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 Guardians prospect, was eventually pulled away from the melee.
Each Valera, 22, and Jackson, 27, were ejected from the sport.Â
Valera is a Queens native who grew up within the Dominican Republic and first joined the Cleveland organization in 2017 after signing as a global free agent.
He began the 2023 season on the injured list after he had aggravated his surgically repaired right hand before the beginning of the yr.Â
Since returning to the lineup, Valera has appeared in 21 games for Columbus he’s hit just .187 with a .546 OPS and no home runs.
In 303 minor league games, the outfielder has a .246/.365/.454 slash line.
