The Des Moines Register's Randy Peterson profiles lefthanded pitcher Raul Valdez. He attempted to defect from Cuba five times -- jailed for a couple of days each time he was caught -- before succeeding on a five-day boat trip to the Dominican Republic. He has allowed 4 runs in 12 innings in 2 starts for Iowa so far this year, after being called up from double-A West Tenn. Valdez got a late start to the year after injuring his thumb before spring training.