In a Pirates lineup missing several pieces, Esmerlyn Valdez stepped right into the spotlight and owned the night.
Pittsburgh’s first game of its doubleheader against the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers turned when Valdez crushed a grand slam off Aaron Ashby in the bottom of the seventh inning, flipping the Pirates into a 7-6 lead that held up despite a scare in the top of the ninth.
That was Valdez’s second homer of the game. He had already gone deep earlier, launching a solo shot off Milwaukee starter Brandon Sproat in the third inning.
The 22-year-old right-handed slugger is now hitting .314/.375/.709, and his rise has given the Pirates another potential middle-of-the-order bat to build around. Pittsburgh once looked thin on impact position-player talent, but that picture has changed fast. Konnor Griffin, Endy Rodríguez and Nick Gonzales are among the names already making noise at the major league level, and the club has more prospects moving through the system behind them.
Valdez could wind up near the top of that group. Since debuting in May, he has done nothing but hit. He was briefly sent back to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 28, then returned on June 11 and quickly became a fixture in the Pirates’ lineup.
The underlying numbers have matched the production. Entering July 11, Valdez carried an expected slugging percentage of .545, a barrel rate of 28.0 percent, a hard-hit rate of 50.0 percent and an xwOBA of .359.
Those are elite marks, and they only got better after his two-homer outburst against Milwaukee.
Valdez has also held his own defensively. Baseball Savant shows he has recorded two Outs Above Average in right field for Pittsburgh.
The biggest question in his profile is the swing-and-miss. His strikeout and whiff rates are still a concern, and he’s striking out at around a 36 percent clip. But if he keeps driving the ball like this and continues to provide value with the glove, that flaw becomes a lot easier to live with.
In Other News...
Pirates Just Made An Aggressive Infield Bet Fans Will Debate
The Pirates spent the second round of the 2026 MLB Draft leaning hard into the infield, taking prep shortstop Aiden Ruiz at No. 44 and Auburn second baseman Chris Rembert at No. 51. It was a clear message about what Pittsburgh wanted to add: defense, contact and players who can stay on the dirt, with Ruiz bringing a switch-hitting profile and a reputation as one of the best gloves in the prep class.
Ruiz and Rembert give the organization two very different looks, but both fit the same broad idea of raising the floor with athletic infield talent. Pittsburgh also kept reshaping the board as the night went on, moving its 34th pick and pitching prospect Jaden Woods to the White Sox for reliever Brandon Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez, a deal that only sharpened the sense that the Pirates were willing to be aggressive if it meant coming away with more middle-infield help. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Just Made A First Round Pick Fans Will Debate Fast
The Pirates went back to the college ranks in a big way in the 2026 MLB Draft, taking LSU outfielder Derek Curiel with the fifth overall pick. It was a choice that fits the organizations recent history of leaning into proven amateur talent, and Curiel arrives with the kind of rsum that makes a front office feel comfortable: a left-handed hitter with a track record of getting on base, enough athleticism to handle center or left field, and a key role on LSUs 2025 College World Series championship team.
Still, this is the kind of pick that will spark an immediate debate in Pittsburgh because Curiels appeal is rooted more in feel for contact and all-around polish than in loud power. Evaluators have generally liked him enough to place him near the top of the class, but the Pirates are betting that his bat-to-ball skill, defensive versatility and championship pedigree will age well as he moves quickly into pro ball. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates No 5 Pick Already Has Fans Debating The Front Office
Pittsburgh used its No. 5 pick on LSU outfielder Curiel, making him the first player from the school taken in the 2026 MLB Draft and adding a name that immediately got people talking about the Pirates direction. At 6-foot-2, Curiel brings hitting ability, speed and center-field versatility, the kind of athletic profile that can fit just about anywhere in a modern lineup if the bat keeps moving forward.
The intrigue comes from what he is not as much as what he is. Curiel is not viewed as a big power source, but scouts see a player with strong bat-to-ball skills and a ceiling that has drawn early Christian Yelich comparisons, which is enough to fuel a real debate about how the front office is valuing upside versus certainty. For a Pirates club always looking for impact talent, this is the sort of pick that can look smart in time or become the one fans keep revisiting. [Read more 🡒]