Esmerlyn Valdez is back on track physically, and that part matters. The Pirates’ young slugger has recovered from the left hamstring strain that knocked him out in September, and he’s set to head to the Dominican Winter League with Leones del Escogido as he gets ready for his sophomore season.
That update is the good news. The harder truth is tucked inside his rookie numbers, and it’s the kind that should keep Pittsburgh from getting carried away.
Outside of July, Valdez hit just .121 and struck out 40% of the time. That is a brutal profile for a team hoping the 22-year-old can become a regular part of the lineup next season.
Valdez did show exactly why the Pirates are intrigued in the first place. He finished 2026 at .232/.345/.510 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in only 72 games, turning in one of the more eye-catching offensive debuts on the roster. July was the month that made everyone sit up: eight homers, 14 extra-base hits, and National League Rookie of the Month honors.
Then the league adjusted.
Pitchers stopped giving him good fastballs and started attacking the holes in his approach, and the contact problems became harder to ignore. That’s not an unusual path for a rookie, particularly one who moved through the Pirates’ minor league system as quickly as he did. But it does mean the next step is anything but guaranteed.
Even as the average slid, Valdez still found ways to help himself. From August on, he posted a .317 on-base percentage, showing enough discipline to keep getting on base despite the swing-and-miss. That said, there’s a wide gap between drawing a few walks and being a reliable middle-of-the-order bat.
Pittsburgh’s offense took a step forward in 2026, but the second-half fade made one thing clear: there is still plenty of work left. The Pirates can’t afford to treat every promising young hitter like a sure thing.
Valdez absolutely has a chance to be part of the answer. His power plays, and the winter-ball assignment gives him another chance to sharpen his game against seasoned competition. But counting on him to walk into 2027 and provide steady production right away would be a stretch, especially with Brandon Lowe heading toward free agency and the team already trying to sort out how to improve its offense.
The bigger point is simple: Pittsburgh should be shopping for established bats no matter what Valdez becomes. Betting on another hot July to cover up roster holes would be a dangerous way to operate.
Valdez’s rookie year gave the Pirates reason to dream. It also gave them a warning. The talent is real, but the consistency is not there yet, and that distinction matters a lot when you start sketching out 2027.
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Pirates Face A Rotation Question That Could Test Their Offseason Plan
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One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Foster Griffin, coming off a strong 2026 season split between the Nationals and Guardians. The fit is easy to understand from Pittsburghs side, but so is the challenge: any pursuit will have to be measured against what the market asks for and how much the Pirates want to commit to a pitcher who would be brought in as part of a broader rotation puzzle rather than as a simple plug-and-play answer. [Read more 🡒]