Esmerlyn Valdez: Improvements, and struggles, coming as part of the process

Sticking to player plan key for May struggles for Esmerlyn Valdez

Photo Credit: WTM

In each of the last seasons, Esmerlyn Valdez has been one of the better hitters on the FCL Pirates’ squad. As an 18-year-old, he posted a 117 wRC+ in 2022 before following up with a 129 mark last year.

He improved his batting average by 80 points and doubled his home run output from three to six.

That performance earned him a late-season promotion to Bradenton, where he played in eight games, picking up five hits (double and triple) but did strike out nearly 40% of the time.

This year, Valdez has seen some ups and downs. He’s among the leaders regarding home runs for the Marauders this year, one of which was an inside-the-park grand slam.

He’s also dealt with the swing-and-miss issues and has seen the strikeout rate creep into the 30s.

Even if the results haven’t quite been there, Marauders manager Jim Horner has seen progress.