Wild Things Sign OF Del Valle, Release Morton

WASHINGTON, Pa. (July 10) – The Washington Wild Things have signed former 14th Round Pick and outfielder Francisco Del Valle to the active roster prior to Thursday’s series finale with the Evansville Otters. In a corresponding move to make room, OF Kadon Morton was released.
Del Valle last played in the states in 2024 with the Gary SouthShore Railcats of the American Association, where he slashed .233/.286/.361 last summer in 61 games. He scored 28 runs, had 11 doubles, a triple, five homers and 24 RBI. During the winter, he played in eight games for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
He played for Ponce in the same league the previous two off-seasons and for RA12 and Santurce in 2021-22. The former Angels farmhand played parts of six seasons in the Los Angeles organization after being a 14th Round selection in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. He advanced as far as High-A Tri-City (not the ValleyCats) in that farm system. In 345 career MiLB games, he slashed .219/.320/.352 with 27 homers and 155 RBI to go with nine triples and 60 doubles.
Following his release from the Angels, Del Valle made a stop with the New York Boulders in the Frontier League in 2022. He slashed .299/.385/.480 in 64 games with New York, and had 73 hits, 41 runs scored, 19 doubles, seven homers and 42 RBI. He also walked 29 times to 33 strikeouts that season. He’d spend 2023 with Gary, slashing .271/.348/.415 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs and 58 RBI.
Del Valle will be active tonight for the Wild Things as Washington looks for a sweep of Evansville after back-to-back walk-off wins. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. at EQT Park.