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After one week of play in the Arizona Fall League, one Pittsburgh Pirates prospect has already set himself apart from the competition in a big way.
Esmerlyn Valdez, the Pirates' No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, mashed his AFL-leading fourth home run on Wednesday for the Salt River Rafters – a two-run bomb off of Scottsdale Scorpions lefty Pablo Aldonis (Washington Nationals). Through 12 at-bats in five games, he's slashing an impressive .333/.636/.1.333 for a league-best 1.969 OPS, and his 10 walks also lead all AFL hitters.
It's still early in league play, but Valdez's power streak is a positive sign for a Pirates organization in desperate need of impact bats that are MLB ready (or close to it). However, there's a catch – Valdez is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter.
This means that if the Pirates don't add him to their 40-man roster, they leave him exposed and risk losing him to another team.
Esmerlyn Valdez AGAIN 😯
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 15, 2025
The @Pirates prospect smokes his AFL-leading fourth homer in five games.
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/9nL0oZhWVh pic.twitter.com/o3XRWzDffD
Pirates’ AFL standout Esmerlyn Valdez is turning into a Rule 5 nightmare scenario
Valdez started his 2025 campaign at High-A Greensboro, where he slashed .303/.385/.592 with 84 hits and 20 home runs through 72 games. Valdez led the league in seven statistical categories at the All-Star break, at which point he earned an invitation to the All-Star Futures Game and a promotion to Double-A Altoona. He also earned South Atlantic League MVP honors at season’s end.
At Double-A, Valdez added six more home runs while slashing 260/.363/.409. In the playoffs, he set an Altoona franchise record with five RBI in a single contest. He finished the season with a combined slash line of 286/.376/.520, 26 homers, 86 RBI and 131 hits across two levels of the Pirates' system.
Early into the Arizona Fall League season, the 21-year-old outfielder is continuing to show off his power that was on full display during the regular season. However, he's never played above the Double-A level, which could give the Pirates pause when considering adding him to their 40-man roster and considering him for a Major League role this winter. If Valdez keeps hitting the way he is now, though, they may not have a choice.