Pirates Prospect Earns Arizona Fall League Honors

Esmerlyn Valdez Has Great Second Week with Salt River Rafters

Valdez had an incredible week with Salt River, slashing .615/.727/1.846 for an outstanding 2.573 OPS, with five home runs, 11 RBIs, seven walks and 24 total bases.

He 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.

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

No Better Hitter in the Arizona Fall League than Esmerlyn Valdez

Valdez has dominated the Arizona Fall League since its start and is the best hitter so far.

He has slashed .545/.718/1.682 for an OPS of 2.400 in nine games, with 12 hits in 22 at-bats, 14 runs scored, one double, eight home runs, 16 RBIs and 15 walks to three strikeouts.

Valdez leads the Arizona Fall League in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, runs scored, home runs and walks, ranks second in RBIs and third in hits.

His eight home runs are also more than three teams have hit all season, including the Desert Dogs, the Mesa Solar Sox and the Peoria Javelinas.

Esmerlyn Valdez and His Breakout 2025 Campaign

Valdez had a great campaign in 2025, which earned him the 15th ranking in the Pirates farm system from MLB Pipeline. 

He started at High-A Greensboro in 2025, 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.

His play earned him promotion to Double-A Altoona on July 2, where he played at the rest of the season.

Valdez led the South Atlantic League in seven statistical categories at the time of his promotion, 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.

Esmerlyn Valdez Earns Promotion to Double-A Altoona

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.

He also earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors for his play against the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, Aug. 26-Aug. 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 scored RBIs in five of the six games and had only one game where he didn't have multiple hits in the series vs. Harrisburg.

He hit two solo home runs on Aug. 29 in the 14-3 win, hit a three-run home run in the 9-2 win on Aug. 30 and also hit a two-run home run in the 10-4 defeat on Aug. 28.

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.

The Pirates will have to place Valdez on the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft to protect him, but after these recent performances, it would come as a shock if they chose not to.