The Pittsburgh Pirates have recently promoted top outfield/first base prospect Esmerlyn Valdez to make his MLB debut. Valdez currently ranks as one of the Bucs’ best minor leaguers. MLB Pipeline ranks him as their ninth-best prospect, while Baseball America ranks him as their fifth-best. Valdez could provide a strong middle-of-the-order bat for the Bucs, so what sort of role can we expect to see him play this year?
Valdez put up a 155 wRC+ between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona in 2025. That was enough for him to start 2026 at Triple-A Indianapolis. It’s only been 194 plate appearances, but Valdez is batting .253/.381/.506 with a .393 wOBA, and 131 wRC+. He has already slugged ten home runs with a .253 isolated slugging percentage. Valdez has progressively cut his K% every year, going from 30.6% in 2024 to 24.5% last year and now down to 21.1%. He is also getting walked frequently, with a 17% BB%. Valdez currently has an OPS of .960 this month.
There has never been any question about Valdez’s power. His exit velocity at Triple-A currently sits at 90.1 MPH, and his barrel rate is 14.4%. His early-season sample size isn’t luck-fueled either, as his xwOBA is .390. That is currently the fourth-highest xwOBA among any Statcast-tracked Triple-A batter with at least 150 plate appearances this year. While Valdez’s K% has shrunk to 21.1%, his whiff rate is still a tad high at 31%, and his 72.1% contact rate is nearly identical to his 72.4% contact rate from last year.
The obvious role Valdez will play is to start at first base against left-handed pitching. Pirates’ current first baseman Spencer Horwitz crushes right-handed pitching. The infielder owns a .285/.471/.466 triple-slash when facing opposite-handed hurlers. However, lefties have given him plenty of trouble, with a meager .188/.294/.246. Valdez, meanwhile, crushes lefties. Last year, he batted .330 with a 1.059 OPS when facing a southpaw. He is putting up nearly identical numbers so far this year, with a .326 batting average and 1.057 OPS when stepping up to the plate vs a LHP.
Valdez will also likely get playing time in the outfield corners and designated hitter. Although Marcell Ozuna has had a solid month of May thus far, his season as a whole has not been very impressive. If his struggles continue, and Valdez and Jhostynxon Garcia begin to perform, the Pirates may spell Valdez and veteran switch-hitter Bryan Reynolds at left field and designated hitter more frequently.
Valdez should get plenty of playing time as a whole when a lefty is on the mound. The Pirates as a team have a 112 wRC+ vs right-handers. That is the fourth best in MLB, only behind the Atlanta Braves, LA Dodgers, and Seattle Mariners. However, their 86 wRC+ vs LHP ranks 24th in baseball.
Given his versatility to play first base and both left and right field, and his ability to destroy left-handed pitching, there should be plenty of opportunities to get Valdez semi-regular playing time at the very least. He is very deserving of his promotion. He has hit well at each level of the minor leagues; now he will get a chance to rack up some home runs against Major League pitching.
