Very similar

This Baseball America post at their prospect blog notes the similarities between the careers of a couple of former Timber Rattlers: Asdrubal Cabrera ('05) and Luis Valbuena ('06). How similar?

Born
Cabrera: Nov. 13, 1985 in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela
Valbuena: Nov. 30, 1985 in Caja Seca, Venezuela

Signed
Cabrera: Aug. 26, 2002 (Mariners, by Emilio Carrasquel)
Valbuena: Aug. 29, 2002 (Mariners, by Emilio Carrasquel)

Professional Debut
Cabrera: 2003, Venezuelan Summer League
Valbuena: 2003, Venezuelan Summer League

Traded
Cabrera: 2006, to Cleveland
Valbuena: 2008, to Cleveland

Then, there is this:

Valbuena and Cabrera formed the Mariners’ middle infield combination in the VSL in 2003, with Cabrera handling shortstop and Valbuena slotting in at second base. The Mariners, as they did with many of their prospects under its previous front management, pushed Cabrera and Valbuena through the system quickly, with Cabrera climbing through the system like a ring-tailed lemur*.

Half way through the 2006 season, with a 20-year-old Cabrera struggling to a .236/.323/.360 line in 60 games with Triple-A Tacoma, the Mariners traded Cabrera to Cleveland for Eduardo Perez. In 2008, Valbuena found success repeating Double-A as a 22-year-old, hitting .304/.381/.483 in 70 games for West Tenn before a promotion to Triple-A, where he hit .302/.383/.373 in 58 games, and then to the majors for a brief stint before shipping off to the Indians in an offseason trade.

Head over there for what the scouts think.

*-An apparent Seinfeld reference.