Breakout Pirates prospect takes massive leap in MLB Pipeline's updated rankings

This past week for Esmerlyn Valdez was the most exciting of his young career, and it somehow just got even better. First off, he got promoted to Double-A and is one step closer to the big leagues. Then he and Konnor Griffin were placed on the Futures Game roster. To cap it off, he took a massive leap from unranked to 16th in MLB Pipeline's top 30 prospects in the Pirates organization.

Out of nowhere, he became one of the top prospects in the organization after being an unranked player entering 2025. After his season in Bradenton in 2024, he was definitely deserving to get recognition, but somehow was left off the list.

Now that he is the 16th-ranked prospect in the organization, it makes the lack of offensive depth in the organization seem like a less glaring issue. Valdez has a lot of power upside, and MLB Pipeline graded it a 60 on a 20-80 scale. He has displayed that in his career, belting 20 home runs in Greensboro this season and 22 last year in Bradenton.

Esmerlyn Valdez takes an insane leap in MLB Pipeline's rankings to become one of the top Pirates prospects.

Notably, his improved strikeout rate has led the way. Last year in Bradenton, Valdez struck out at a high 30.6% rate. This year, they has fallen to 23.9%, really showing his hit tools are getting better as he progresses through the organization. MLB Pipeline only graded that tool a 45, and if he keeps improving it, that could send him into the top 10 in the organization. Keeping this progress up in Double-A is the big test for him, and will ultimately determine if he will continue to rise.

The Pirates organization desperately needed a prospect like this to emerge. Griffin has been a star, but aside from him, the offensive depth has been somewhat dry. Valdez playing both first base and outfield could be very valuable to the Pirates later on, too, as there aren't many other outfield prospects in the organization doing well.

This massive leap that Valdez took this year is remarkable for him and the organization. Valdez needs to keep this up with Altoona following his promotion to keep rising in the rankings and become the next slugger in Pittsburgh.