RADIO
Esmerlyn Valdez Getting Promoted to Double-A Altoona
Pittsburgh Pirates first base/outfield prospect Esmerlyn Valdez is headed to Double-A Altoona. The right-handed hitter was leading the South Atlantic League in hits (84), doubles (18), home runs (20), RBI (57), batting average (.303), slugging (.592), and OPS (.977) before his promotion, and leading some by a wide margin. The 21-year-old is coming off a 22-homer campaign in 2024 at Single-A, but it came with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate. The 6-foot-2 Dominican will blow past that home run total from a season ago, and thus far, he's been able to do it with a reduced strikeout rate of 24.5 percent despite the increase in level. Although he is currently not ranked within the Pirates' top 30 prospects, he could be by the time the list is refreshed, and at this rate, he could be pushing for a major league promotion sometime later next year.
Source: MiLB Central
Source: MiLB Central
