Prospect watch
Esmerlyn Valdez
Position: OF
Height: 6-2
Weight: 234
Level: Triple-A Indianapolis
Notable: One of the top power hitters in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league system, Valdez has picked up where he left off last summer.
He has smacked three homers and has six RBIs early on this season at Indianapolis. Valdez, the Bucs’ No. 10 prospect, launched his second homer of the season Wednesday in a 5-0 win over the Louisville Bats and third in Thursday’s 5-1 loss.
He also extended an on-base streak to 12 games for the Indians (3-9) and has a slash line of .263/.451/.553/1.004.
Valdez was the Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year last season after leading Pirates minor leaguers with 26 home runs between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. It was the most homers by a Pirates minor leaguer since 2022.
The 22-year-old, who signed as an undrafted free agent from the Dominican Republic, set an Altoona Curve playoff record with five RBIs in Game 1 of the Southwest Division Series against Erie.
Valdez earned the Eastern League Player of the Week award in September after homering in three straight games against the Senators and batting .444 with nine RBIs.
Valdez was named the South Atlantic League’s MVP despite being promoted to the Curve on July 1. He ranked first in the league in slugging (.592), second in both home runs (20) and extra-base hits (39), fourth in total bases (164) and 10th in RBIs (57).
He also ranked second in the organization in games played (123) and RBIs (86).
He played in the 2025 Futures Game after being named the Arizona Fall League offensive player of the year.
Valdez, a member of the Pirates’ 40-man roster, projects as a right fielder with a power profile.