Valent had a standout career at UCLA, alongside teammates Troy Glaus, Eric Byrnes, Chase Utley, and Garrett Atkins.

A solid pinch hitter and valuable utility man, he was a competent first baseman who could play either left or right field effectively.

On January 12, 2006, Valent was signed as a free agent by the San Diego Padres, but was released on May 14, after playing in 30 games for their Triple-A farm club, the Portland Beavers.

[3] After being released from the Padres organization, Valent signed a one-year contract worth 50 million Yen to play right field for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

[4] In December 2008, Valent was named the hitting coach for the Single-A Williamsport Crosscutters of the Philadelphia Phillies organization,[5] but was reassigned to a scouting position in January 2009.