Pirates slugger's absurd AFL heater is earning literal Barry Bonds comparisons

Esmerlyn Valdez, a top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system (ranked No. 15 by MLB Pipeline) is absolutely raking in the Arizona Fall League.

Valdez, playing for the Salt River Rafters, earned the league's Hitter of the Week honors after batting .615 with five home runs, 11 RBI and a 2.573 OPS in Week 2. Through 22 at-bats over nine games, he has already mashed eight home runs – five more than the next-closest hitter.

Valdez also leads the league in slugging (1.682), OPS (2.400) and total bases (37), and his 114.4 mph max exit velocity is third-highest in the league. Of his 18 batted balls in play, 13 have been hit at 95-plus mph for a hard-hit rate of 72.2 percent.

Despite the limited sample size, Valdez's power tear has been so impressive that it has actually earned him comparisons to Pirates Hall of Famer Barry Bonds. According to MLB Pipeline, Bonds is the only Major Leaguer to log a higher OPS over an eight-game span than Valdez’s. He did so as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2004, when he had marks of 2.859 and 2.740 over separate eight-game runs between April 11 and April 21.

Esmerlyn Valdez earning Barry Bonds comparisons suggests high ceiling with Pirates

Valdez, albeit in a prospect league, is reaching a statistical benchmark almost unmatched even at the highest professional level. He’s not just good; he’s far ahead of peers. That kind of gap between “top of league” and “everyone else” suggests something special, hence the Bonds comparison.

That being said, it's important to put Valdez's performance in proper context. The AFL is not MLB. Prospect leagues are valuable for evaluation, but the competition level, frequency, and situational rigor are different. A hot nine-game stretch, while impressive, is still a small sample. Sustaining at that level over 200-plus MLB at-bats is a much higher bar.

Bonds, of course, had many years of elite output – not just a short burst. In the case of Valdez, the comparisons to Bonds highlight his potential and his tool level, rather than guarantee his career path. Instead of, “he will be Bonds,” think: “Look – you seldom see this kind of dominance or power, even at the top level.”

Valdez still has overall profile work to do when it comes plate discipline, pitch recognition, outfield defense and translating power vs. advanced pitching. But if he sustains a high level of performance and develops the rest of his game, this could be a high-ceiling bat for the Pirates – something they desperately need.