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Pirates Prospect Already Making Marcell Ozuna’s Seat Hot
Main Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Pirates Prospect Already Making Marcell Ozuna’s Seat Hot

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports  |  By Noah Wright  |  Last updated Apr 6, 2026 2:17 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Marcell Ozuna this past offseason to a one-year contract to be their designated hitter. So far, it hasn’t worked out as well as planned. He has just two hits and eight strikeouts throughout his first 31 plate appearances of 2026. This is after Ozuna saw his wRC+ fall from 154 in 2024 to just 114 in 2025.

The Pirates can’t wait around and bet on Ozuna pulling a Tommy Pham or Rowdy Tellez, and figure things out by summer. As we’ve discussed before, they need to be proactive and get ahead of the curve when making roster moves. On top of that, Ozuna’s potential replacement may already be lighting a fire under his seat. That player is Esmerlyn Valdez.

Esmerlyn Valdez in Marcell Ozuna’s Rearview Mirror with Pirates

From Breakout Season to Top Prospect

Esmerlyn Valdez had a breakout season in 2024. During that year, he posted an .815 OPS, .384 wOBA, and 131 wRC+. Valdez showed off his impressive power, going yard 22 times in 435 trips to the plate. He also drew a walk at a healthy 13.6% rate. However, there were some evident flaws in his game. Valdez struck out in 30.6% of his plate appearances with a sub-70% contact rate (69.5%, to be exact).

Valdez still entered 2025 with high expectations, and he more than delivered. The outfielder/first baseman slashed .286/.376/.520 with a .412 wOBA, and 155 wRC+ between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. Valdez hit even more home runs, belting 26 long balls in 529 plate appearances. He cut his strikeout rate down significantly to 24.6% in 2025. He also upped his contact rate to a respectable 72.4% rate. His walk rate took a step back, but remained at a solid 10.6%.

Despite Inexperience, Valdez is Crushing the Competition

Valdez was one of the youngest players at Double-A last season. Among the 335 players who had 200 or more plate appearances at the Double-A level, he was the 22nd youngest. 2025 was only his age-21 campaign. Despite his age, the Pirates have been aggressive with his movement throughout the minor leagues and opted to send Valdez to Triple-A Indianapolis to open 2026. He is now the 12th youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A.

However, Valdez has had no problems with this new challenge. He already has seven hits (including a pair of doubles and a home run) over 34 plate appearances. Valdez continues to get better at making contact. He has just a 21.3% whiff rate and two strikeouts. He has also been very patient at the plate, drawing nine walks. Not only has Valdez’s approach gotten significantly better, but he’s done that while maintaining his raw power. His barrel rate throughout his first eight games is 20%.

After the Pirates promoted Konnor Griffin so early into 2026, one has to wonder who the next notable prospect to make his MLB debut for the Bucs will be. Valdez currently ranks as the Pirates’ 11th-best prospect on Baseball America and their 10th-best on MLB Pipeline. With how good he looks at Triple-A, he’s going to climb rankings exceptionally quickly. Valdez currently looks like he could be the next name to get a shot in the major leagues.

At this point, Valdez has to be making Ozuna’s seat warm. He is excelling at Triple-A, while Ozuna is floundering in the major leagues. Ozuna could still turn things around, but that turnaround needs to happen very soon. It’s hard to imagine that if Ozuna doesn’t start looking better at the plate, and Valdez’s early-season improvements continue, he gets called up and starts taking playing time away from Ozuna before the start of summer.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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