PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have tough roster decisions throughout this offseason, but especially on one prospect ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.
The Rule 5 Draft allows teams without a full 40-man roster to add players from other teams that aren’t on the 40-man roster. Both players that sign at 18 years or younger have to join the 40-man roster within five years and players that sign at 19 years or older have to join the 40-man roster within four years to avoid the Rule 5 Draft
The Pirates had one of their prospects have an incredible break out season, that is still continuing into October.
Esmerlyn Valdez had a sensational 2025 campaign, which has kept going into the Arizona Fall League, with him playing for the Salt River Rafters.
Valdez has slashed an incredible .438/.677/1.375 for an OPS of 2.052 in seven games, with seven hits in 16 at-bats, 10 runs scored, five home runs, nine RBIs and 13 walks to three strikeouts.
He leads the Arizona Fall League in home runs, walks, slugging percentage and OPS, ranks second in runs scored and on-base percentage, tied for third in RBIs and third in batting average.
Valdez has shown improvement throughout the season, but the Pirates have a player that is proving himself as someone that can play at the MLB level if not next season, at least by 2027.
Valdez had a great campaign in 2025, which earned him the 15th ranking in the Pirates farm system from MLB Pipeline.
He started at High-A Greensboro in 2025, serving as one of the best prospects in the South Atlantic League. He slashed .303/.385/.592 for an OPS of .977 in 72 games, with 84 hits, 18 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and 31 walks to his 77 strikeouts.
His play earned him promotion to Double-A Altoona on July 2, where he played at the rest of the season.
Valdez led the South Atlantic League in seven statistical categories at the time of his promotion, including hits, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, plus ranking tied for first in doubles and 11th in on-base percentage, which earned him South Atlantic League MVP honors at the end of the season.
His play also put him in the Futures Game, featuring the best prospects in baseball. He and Altoona teammate Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in baseball, represented the Pirates and played for the National League.
Jul 12, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; National League Konnor Griffin (24) throws the ball during the second inning against American League at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Valdez played in 51 games for Altoona in 2025, slashing .260/.363/.409 for an OPS of .772, with 47 hits in 181 at-bats, seven doubles, one triple, six home runs, 29 RBIs and 25 walks to 53 strikeouts.
This culminated in a strong August in Double-A for Valdez, slashing .311/.407/.522 for an OPS of .929, with 28 hits in 90 at-bats, a double, six home runs, 19 RBIs and 15 walks to 24 strikeouts. It also came after he hit .196 with no home runs in July.
He also earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors for his play against the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, Aug. 26-Aug. 31.
Valdez slashed .444/.500/.926 for an OPS of 1.426, with 12 hits in 27 at-bats, a double, four home runs, nine RBIs, two walks to six strikeouts and one hit by pitch. He also scored RBIs in five of the six games and had only one game where he didn’t have multiple hits in the series vs. Harrisburg.
He hit two solo home runs on Aug. 29 in the 14-3 win, hit a three-run home run in the 9-2 win on Aug. 30 and also hit a two-run home run in the 10-4 defeat on Aug. 28.
His play bolstered the Curve late in the season, as they won the Eastern League West Division Second Half Title, earning a spot in the playoffs.
Valdez also just set a franchise record for the Curve, driving in five RBIs in an 11-5 comeback, playoff win over the Erie Seawolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Sept. 16.
He finished his 2025 season, slashing .286/.376/.520 for an OPS of .896 in 123 games, 131 hits, 25 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and 56 walks to 130 strikeouts.
The Pirates signed Valdez for $130,000 in January 2021 at around 16-17 years old. He spent 2021 with the Dominican Pirates Gold Team and 2022 with the Florida Complex League (FCL) Pirates.
Valdez then played for both the FCL Pirates and Single-A Bradenton in 2023 and then just Bradenton in 2024, before having his impressive 2025 season.
Since he signed before he was older than 18 and has spent five seasons with the Pirates, he is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
The Pirates must move a player and then add Valdez on to the 40-man roster, if they hope to keep another team from taking him in that Rule 5 Draft.