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Jun 23, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; against the Pittsburgh Pirates hat and glove in the dugout before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Pirates Prospect Named Top Arizona Fall League Performer

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 9:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a few of their prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League and one has stood out amongst the rest with his performance early on.

Joe Trezza of MLB.com wrote about his, "Arizona Fall League Week 1 top performers" and put in Pirates outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez amongst them.

Valdez, playing with the Salt River Rafters, has just two hits so far, but has two home runs to show for it, tied for the most in the Arizona Fall League.

He smashed a slider low in the zone off of right-handed pitcher Alex Amalfi, hitting it 108 mph and sending it 425 feet for a solo home run, putting the Rafters up 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning of a 7-3 victory over the Glendale Desert Dogs on Oct. 7 in his debut.

Valdez then crushed a slider over the top of the plate from Scottsdale Scorpions left-handed starting pitcher Pablo Aldonis, hitting it 114.4 mph and sending it 414 feet for a solo home run in the top of the second inning, putting his team up 1-0 in the second game on Oct. 8, which ended up a 12-3 defeat.

He has also done well with his plate discipline, drawing six walks, leading the Arizona Fall League, and striking out just once.

Valdez had a sensational 2025, showing off his power throughout and giving Pirates fans hope that the slugger will make it to Pittsburgh in the near future. MLB Pipeline also ranks Valdez as the 15th best prospect in the Pirates farm system.

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.

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 need to place Valdez on their 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft, but if he keeps performing like this, he'll keep getting recognition from Trezza and also people in the organization.

"The 21-year-old Valdez was one of the Pirates' biggest risers this season, emerging as one of Double-A Altoona's top hitters and finishing with 26 homers and an .896 OPS between two levels," Trezza wrote.

"He's Rule 5 eligible and could therefore play himself onto the Pirates roster with a big Fall League, which already seems to be well underway. Valdez was one of two players to homer twice during the first week of play, also drawing a whopping six walks in three games."

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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