Morning Rundown: Pirates sign Seth Hernandez, Esmeryln Valdez leaves with injury,

Pirates sign their first round pick

Jul 23, 2025

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed their first-round pick, right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, on Tuesday.

Hernandez was the sixth-overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Corona High School. The signing bonus was $7.25 million, a tad under the slot amount of $7,558,600.

Baseball America has him listed as the third-best prospect in the Pirates’ system in their updated top 30.

He becomes the fourth player the Pirates have signed from their draft class, joining Murf Gray, Matt King, and Jack Anker.

Esmeryln Valdez, who leads the system in home runs, left Tuesday’s game with the Altoona Curve after sliding into the tarp in foul territory. They had to bring the cart out to help him off the field.

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After leading the Florida State League in home runs in 2024, Valdez was promoted to Greensboro to begin this season. He was leading the South Atlantic League at the time of his promotion with 20.

He’s posted on multiple social media sites that he is fine, saying his ‘season is not over yet.’

Behind another quality start from Mitch Keller, the Pittsburgh Pirates took the second of their three-game set against the Detroit Tigers and can now go for the sweep on Wednesday.

Keller (4-10) allowed three runs on six hits and three walks, striking out five over six innings pitched. David Bednar earned his 15th save of the season and has now pitched on three consecutive days.

The offense registered 14 hits, with Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds, and Tommy Pham leading the way with three each.

Horwitz went 3-1 with two runs and two RBI while hitting a pair of doubles out of the leadoff spot. Reynolds hit a double and drove in two. Pham had a pair of doubles.

They’ll go for the sweep on Wednesday with Bailey Falter facing Troy Melton, who will be making his major league debut.

Greensboro Grasshoppers activated LHP Connor Oliver
Altoona Curve placed 3B Jack Brannigan on the full-season injured list
Altoona Curve placed RHP Garrett McMillan on the full-season injured list
FCL Pirates placed RHP Joaquin Tejada on the full-season injured list

Top Exit Velocity

Oneil Cruz - PIT - 114 mph - Double
Nick Gonzales - PIT - 109.9 mph - Forceout
Ji Hwan Bae - IND - 108.5 mph - Single
Tony Blanco Jr. - BRD - 107.9 mph - Single
Tommy Pham - PIT - 107.2 mph - Groundout

Top Pitch Velocity

David Matoma - BRD - 100.6 mph
David Matoma - BRD - 100.4 mph
Kyle Nicolas - IND - 99.8 mph
Kyle Nicolas - IND - 99.8 mph
Kyle Nicolas - IND - 99.7 mph

Most Whiffs

Thomas Harrington - IND - 13
Po-Yu Chen - ALT - 10
Mitch Keller - PIT - 10
Carlson Reed - GBO - 10
Blake Townsend - ALT - 7

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Bucs on Deck: Pittsburgh Pirates Top 30 Midseason Update

Anthony Murphy

Jun 27

Bucs on Deck: Pittsburgh Pirates Top 30 Midseason Update

We are past the halfway mark of the 2025 minor league season, and it seems like a perfect time for an update on our Top Prospect list, which has been expanded to 30 players.

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