Underrated Pirates prospect behemoth just earned an Aaron Judge comp in AFL

While Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Esmerlyn Valdez has been the darling of the Arizona Fall League, he's not the only young Bucco turning heads in the desert. Another Pirates prospect is drawing the lofty comparison to Aaron Judge, and it's more than just his stature and choice of jersey number that has people taking notice.

At six-foot-seven, a tank-like 243 pounds, and rocking number 99, Tony Blanco Jr. has more going for him than just a name that sounds like he should be a character in a B-list mafia move that's so bad it's good. The 20-year-old has been putting on a show, launching balls as hard and as far as the six-foot-seven, 99-wearing behemoth who roams right field in the Bronx.

Pirates prospect Tony Blanco Jr. is turning heads and drawing Aaron Judge comps in the Arizona Fall League

Blanco Jr. hasn't gotten as much run as others in the autumn showcase, but when he's gotten a chance to step into the box, he's put on quite the show. The 20-year-old has just 45 plate appearances, but is responsible for five of the top-50 exit velocities so far.

On that resume is a 120.4 mile per hour double, which put him in rarified air, recording an exit velocity that only six big leaguers in the Statcast era have been able to achieve. That would be Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sánchez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., and Pirates enigma Oneil Cruz. In addition to that rocket, he also has a towering 464-foot homer on his AFL resume.

Hitting the ball hard is nothing new for Blanco Jr., who was a Statcast darling down at Single-A Bradenton this year as well.

Despite signing as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic back in 2022, Blanco Jr. is relatively inexperienced. Injuries have kept him off the field, with him managing just 30 games played in 2025, which is only 10 shy of his career-high 40 appearances in 2023 playing in the Dominican Summer League.

With all that power has also comes a lot of swing-and-miss. Blanco posted a 33.6% K-rate at Bradenton, after posting a 28.4% mark in 30 games in 2024 at the Florida Complex League.

Still, the AFL is a collection of some of the best prospects in the game, with many more experienced players competing against Blanco. The fact that he's holding his own with a .250/.377/.432 line is encouraging, and along with the historic Statcast numbers, the tools are all on display.

There's a lot more seasoning required for the hulking youngster, but if it all clicks, he's got the size and strength to be truly special.