From Curaçao to the Clay: Juan Valle’s Journey to the Bats Grounds Crew

When Juan Valle came to the United States from Curaçao to play college baseball, he never imagined his path would lead him to the grounds crew at Louisville Slugger Field. What started as an internship requirement soon became a genuine career interest. This past season, Juan worked full-time maintaining the Louisville Bats’ field as a member of the grounds crew.

He recently shared how his journey from the Caribbean to Kentucky shaped his perspective on baseball, what he’s learned from working behind the scenes, and why he hopes to make groundskeeping his career.

Q: So you work on the grounds crew here with the Bats. Can you tell me where you’re originally from and what brought you to the United States for college?

A: I was born in Curacao but spent some of my childhood in Venezuela. It was just me, my mom and my sister. After three or four years, we moved back to Curacao again. I was there until 2019 when I came to the States on a full ride scholarship for high school in Seymour, Tennessee. After that, I started my education and started playing baseball there. I did my last three years of high school in Seymour, and then I got a scholarship to play in Chicago at Trinity [Christian College]. After two years there, I transferred to Midway here in Kentucky and played my final two years of baseball there. At Midway, I was studying sports management. I wanted to stay on the professional side of sports, whatever the case may be.

Q: Since you played baseball here both in high school and college, surely you were familiar with the role of groundskeeping, but how did you get interested in it as a profession?

A: I was in Louisville last year for a couple games, and I saw the grounds crew guys. I just wanted to to see the behind the scenes of everything. I've been playing baseball since I was four, so I'd never really seen the process of field maintenance, since I was always playing.

Q: What led you to join the Bats grounds crew?

A: Right now I live in New Albany, across the river, and I've been here living with my mom a couple years now. Louisville is the closest professional baseball that we have, and I really like it. We’re planning to stay in New Albany for a couple more years, so I just wanted to get to know more about Louisville and I saw that they have a grounds crew. I needed to do an internship for Midway, so it ended up being a perfect fit for me.

Q: What would you say are some of the biggest differences, in both baseball and life, you’ve noticed between Curacao and Venezuela as compared to the States, whether it be Seymour, Chicago, or Louisville?

A: Baseball here in the States is more statistics. It feels like they plan everything over here. It's more numbers and all that. Back home it’s just “put on the uniform and play” kind of style. As for living here, the cold weather has been the biggest difference. I moved in January 2019, and the first difference I noticed was the cold weather. Back home in Curacao, it was 85 degrees all year round, 85-90. Then coming to the States in January, middle of the winter, it was kind of shocking. I saw my first snow.

Q: What’s been your favorite part about working on the grounds crew here?

A: Tod Shafer, man, he's a character. He's one of my best friends out there, Brock Hammond as well. They kind of showed me everything. They taught me everything. That is one of my best things, having those guys behind me. I gotta say thank you to them.

Q: So are there any particular tasks that you especially enjoy doing here?

A: I'm down to do whatever they tell me to learn, but I think one of my favorite things is doing the plate. I usually do the plate and then watch the games after. I really enjoy seeing what I did after. So I usually try to watch the games and seeing the field, I'm like, “Hey, I did that.” It’s pretty cool. Ronald Acuña Jr. was here a couple months ago, and I did the plate for that series, so that was pretty big for me.

Q: What have you learned about baseball and the sports industry through this role?

A: I would say time management and being responsible. If they need you here, you’re here. Also, communication. That's a big one for me. If you can't communicate on whatever aspects, either in the office or on the field, it kind of hurts you. I think communication is a big part of the grounds crew.

Q: You mentioned wanting to kind of pursue this as a full-time job. What about this specific work excites you enough to turn it into a career?

A: Like I said, I've been introduced to the grounds crew for a couple years now, and I really love the feeling that I have after we get the field ready. I think that's one of the biggest things for me, just feeling good about the field and about the work we just did. A lot of the players have been really good to us, giving us feedback. And I think just talking to the players and coaches and having feedback from them, I think that's one of the best, most rewarding things for me.

Q: Are there any specific skills or experiences that you’ve had here in Louisville that you think will help you reach the next step career-wise?

A: I came to Louisville knowing probably zero about the machinery and all that. Tod Shafer and Brock Hammond taught me everything that I need to know. I have a long way to go, of course, but they just push me in trying to know everything about the field and be perfect out there for the players.

Q: How has your perspective changed since working on this field and living here, from playing baseball to now being behind-the-scenes on the grounds crew?

A: It has changed a lot. I've never seen the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to get a professional field ready. I can’t really find the words to explain exactly how it changed. I know that now compared to back then, when I see baseball fields on TV, I see every detail from the grass to the clay. I think I’m more used to looking for the details when I see another field. I catch myself searching for the details rather than just watching the game.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.