North Shore Nine

Welcome to the weekly Scouting Prospects; Undiscovered Treasure series. Each week we will take a look at a different one of the Pirates prospects who fall outside of the Top 30. The format of these articles will highlight and discuss how the player came to the Pirates, how he has been playing and what to expect from them moving forward.

Esmerlyn Valdez:
The Pirates signed Valdez as an International Free Agent in 2021. He currently stands at 6’2″ weighing roughly 181 pounds, he plays the corner spots in both the infield and the outfield. As far as thoughts of his game from the scouts, defensively he should be average both in glove and arm. He has also played a fair amount at 1B, though he tends to commit more errors at that position. Hitting wise, he has highly rated power with his bat, but like many young players needs to work on his contact and his eye as he grows into his frame.
Valdez is 20 years old entering the 2024 season playing in low A Bradenton, where he spent 8 games in 2023. So far in 2024 he is hitting relatively well in Bradenton. On the year through mid June he is hitting .232/.359/.425 with a .785 OPS a .193 ISO and has a .343 BABIP. His power is coming along as in 54 games this season he has hit 8 home runs to go with 9 doubles and a triple. The biggest issue that he has had is his strikeout rate, this season it stands at 34.5%. Obviously, he is 20 and this is his first full season at A ball, and he is there about a year under the average mean for age. In the three years in the Pirate system before this season Valez was able to keep his K% in the low to mid 20’s, while still not ideal it is far better. A lot of how he will fair as a hitter the rest of this year and as he progresses will be very dependent on those strikeouts. He is walking at a 13.2% clip this season which shows that he has a decent eye and his wRC+ is 128 so he will need to find that balance from selling out for power and putting the ball in play.
With how Valdez is playing, K% aside, if this continues, he could make it to Greensboro early next season. That will be a big test for him as not only is it harder, but it is also well known as a hitter park and league. If he can cut the K% down and progress with his power numbers as he has this year, he could start climbing up the prospect rankings. Do not be surprised if by years end he slips into the back end of the Pirates Top 30, or at worse sometime next year. Which a new Top 10 draft pick being added to the list soon it will be hard for more guys to get added to that list. But as some will develop out and others will drop Valdez is one who could quickly rise. Keep an eye on this youngster, he very well might be one of the Pirates treasures that are currently being unearthed.