Esmerlyn Valdez
Esmerlyn Valdez
Position: 1B/OF
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 181 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 01/27/2004
Country: Dominican Republic
How Acquired: International Free Agent, 2021
Bonus: N/A
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
Minor League Free Agency: 2027
Options Left: 3
Overview
Valdez is a corner player with good size, whose primary asset is power. His defense and arm could be average in the outfield corners. He shifted between there and first base.
2021-23
In the DSL in 2021, Valdez got off to a slow start, with a .623 OPS in July, but followed that with .873 in August and .822 in September. He hit for good power, but didn’t have a great BB:K ratio, at 16:39.
In 2022, Valdez went to the FCL. He hit decently overall, with some power, and he improved after the early season. Valdez had a monthly OPS, starting in June, of .407, .976 and .892. A little surprisingly, the Pirates sent him back to the FCL in 2023. He had a big year, hitting 312/377/518. His walk and K rates again could have been better, at 9.4% and 22.6%, respectively. He did reasonably well in eight late-season games with Bradenton. He played the whole season at age 19.
2024
Valdez spent the 2024 season with Bradenton and led the Florida State League in home runs with 22. The longballs came with high walk and K rates, 14% and 31%, respectively. The swinging and missing didn’t help his batting average, but he had a line of 226/352/464. That was enough for Valdez to lead the league in OPS, although if you count non-qualifiers — some of whom had much less playing time — he was ninth. Valdez improved after a slow start, putting up an OPS of .941 in June and .904 in July. On defense, he split his time between first, where he had error problems, and the outfield corners.
Stats
Transactions
January 15, 2021: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent.