Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez Wins Top Arizona Fall League Award

Esmerlyn Valdez Lights Up the Arizona Fall League

Valdez finished his time in the AFL by slashing .368/.513/.842 for an OPS of 1.355 in 19 games, with 19 runs scored, 21 hits, three doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBIs and 19 walks to 12 strikeouts.

He led the Arizona Fall League in home runs, three more than the next two players at five home runs each, plus RBIs and slugging percentage.

Valdez ranked second in OPS and total bases (48), tied for fifth in walks and on-base percentage,, sixth in batting average, tied for eighth in runs scored and tied for 17th in hits.

He earned Arizona Fall League Hitter of the Week for Week 2, slashing .615/.727/1.846 for an outstanding 2.573 OPS, with five home runs, 11 RBIs, seven walks and 24 total bases. 

Valdez led the Arizona Fall League in home runs, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases, tied for the lead with eight hits, while ranking second in batting average, on-base percentage, RBIs and walks. 

He reached base in 15 of his 24 plate appearances and had his best game of the season vs. the Desert Dogs on Oct. 19, where he hit two home runs and finished with four RBIs in the 11-3 win for the Rafters. 

Valdez Features in Home Run Derby, AFL All-Star Game

This great play from Valdez placed him in both the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby on Nov. 8 and the All-Star Game, dubbed the Fall StarsGame on Nov. 9, both at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.

Valdez finished second in the Home Run Derby with 16 home runs and 23 points to fellow Pirates prospect and Salt River teammate, Tony Blanco Jr., who won the competition with 24 home runs and 32 points.

He also started for the National League in the Fall Stars Game in right field, serving as the sole Pirates representative.

Valdez walked to lead off the top of the second inning and made it to third base on a single from catcher Owen Ayers. He then got tagged out at home on a fielder's choice on the next at-bat, which kept the game scoreless.

He grounded out in the fourth inning and popped out in the sixth inning, before singling with two outs in the eighth inning, which didn't turn into any runs scored, as pinch-hitter Alfred Duno grounded into a double play.

Valdez has Breakout Campaign in 2025

There aren't many Pirates prospects that had a better season than Valdez did in 2025, moving him up to the 15th ranking in the farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. 

He started at High-A Greensboro this season, serving as one of the best prospects in the South Atlantic League. He slashed .303/.385/.592 for an OPS of .977 in 72 games, with 84 hits, 18 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and 31 walks to his 77 strikeouts.

Valdez led the South Atlantic League in seven statistical categories at the time of his promotion to Double-A Altoona on July 1, including hits, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, plus ranking tied for first in doubles and 11th in on-base percentage, which earned him South Atlantic League MVP honors at the end of the season.

His play also put him in the Futures Game, featuring the best prospects in baseball. He and Altoona teammate Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in baseball, represented the Pirates and played for the National League.

Valdez played in 51 games for Altoona in 2025, slashing .260/.363/.409 for an OPS of .772, with 47 hits in 181 at-bats, seven doubles, one triple, six home runs, 29 RBIs and 25 walks to 53 strikeouts.

This culminated in a strong August in Double-A for Valdez, slashing .311/.407/.522 for an OPS of .929, with 28 hits in 90 at-bats, a double, six home runs, 19 RBIs and 15 walks to 24 strikeouts. It also came after he hit .196 with no home runs in July.

His play bolstered the Curve late in the season, as they won the Eastern League West Division Second Half Title, earning a spot in the playoffs.

Valdez also just set a franchise record for the Curve, driving in five RBIs in an 11-5 comeback, playoff win over the Erie Seawolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Sept. 16.

He finished his 2025 season, slashing .286/.376/.520 for an OPS of .896 in 123 games, 131 hits, 25 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and 56 walks to 130 strikeouts.

Valdez earned honors for his play, including South Atlantic League MVP for his time in Greensboro and the Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year, given to the best minor league power hitter in the Pirates farm system.