Pirates Power-Hitting Prospects Playing in Arizona Fall League

Valdez dominated at High-A 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 in Greensboro.

He led the South Atlantic League in a number of categories, including hits, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, plus ranking tied for first in doubles and 11th in on-base percentage at the time of his promotion.

Valdez earned promotion to Altoona on July 1 and struggled early on, slashing .196/.297/.304 for an OPS of .601 through July, but then improved in August, slashing .311/.407/.522 for an OPS of .929.

He also earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors for his play vs. the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, Aug. 26-31.

Valdez slashed .444/.500/.926 for an OPS of 1.426, with 12 hits in 27 at-bats, a double, four home runs, nine RBIs, two walks to six strikeouts and one hit by pitch.

He also represented the Pirates in the Futures Game on July 11, putting him amongst the best prospects in baseball. Former Greensboro and current Atloona teammate in top prospectKonnor Griffin joined Valdez there as well.

Valdez has slashed .289/.377/.524 for an OPS of .901 in 121 games in 2025, with 131 hits, 25 doubles, 26 home runs, 86 RBIs, 55 walks to 129 strikeouts.

The Pirates signed Valdez to a minor league contract on Jan. 15, 2021 as an international signing from the Dominican Republic.

He played with the Dominican Summer League Pirates, before progressing to the Florida Complex League Pirates (FCL) in 2022, Single-A Bradenton in 2023 and then Greensboro this season, before earning his promotion to Altoona.

Blanco Jr. missed a portion of the season dealing with a leg injury that landed him on the 60-day injured list on March 24. He started his rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Pirates (FCL) on July 12 and rejoined Single-A Bradenton on July 19.

He slashed .264/.368/.491 for an OPS of .859 in 28 games with Bradenton this season, with 28 hits in 106 at-bats, three double, seven home runs, 21 RBIs, 18 walks to 42 strikeouts.

Blanco Jr. has displayed some of the best power of any prospect this season, using his 6-foot-7, 243-pound frame to absolutely smash baseballs for some impressive home runs.

He hit his first home run of the season 118.9 mph and 425 feet on July 30, then broke the record on Aug. 2, sending a three-run walk-off home run 119.8 mph and 450 feet, the hardest hit home run in the minor leagues in 2025.

The 20-year old signed with the Pirates for $900,000 in January 2022 and has only played in 108 games across the minor leagues in four seasons.

Blanco Jr. played 40 games with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Pirates Gold in 2023. He slashed .235/.325/.397 for an OPS of .722 with 32 hits in 136 at-bats, seven doubles, five home runs, 25 RBIs and 17 walks to 59 strikeouts.

He slashed .305/.385/.505 for an OPS of .890 in 30 games with the FCL Pirates in 2024, with 29 hits in 95 at-bats, five doubles, one triple, four home runs, 17 RBIs and 12 walks to 31 strikeouts.

Blanco Jr. is the son of Tony Blanco Sr., who played baseball professional for 17 years, including one season with the Washington Nationals in 2005 and eight years in Japan, where he was a four-time NPB All-Star.

Blanco Sr. died on April 8 after sustaining injuries from in the Jet Set Nightclub Collapse in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, the same incident that killed former Pirates closer Octavio Dotel.

The Salt River Rafters includes prospects from the Pirates, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels.

The Arizona Fall League starts Oct. 6 and runs through Nov. 12, before the playoffs from Nov. 13-15, which each team playing 30 games. The AFL Home Run Derby takes place on Nov. 8 and then the Fall Stars Game is on Nov. 9.