​Esmerlyn Valdez wasted little time making a strong impression for the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving fans reasons to cheer almost from the moment he arrived at PNC Park. In his first plate appearance there on May 26, the rookie drilled a two-run homer that capped a five-run first inning. A day earlier at Rogers Centre, he had already recorded his first MLB homer and his first career hit. Recently inserted into the lineup in part to help replace the injured Oneil Cruz, Valdez has continued to shine.
Valdez delivered a 411-foot, sixth homer of his 16-game career by blasting a 78-mph knuckle curve from Phillies starter Aaron Nola, driving in a two-run shot in the fourth to bring Pittsburgh within 5-2 and ignite a rally. The Pirates went on to complete an 11-7 comeback win at Citizens Bank Park. Batting fifth, Valdez went 2-for-3 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI, lifting his average to .289. Since 1900, only six players have homered at least four times in their first 16 MLB games, including Valdez: Graig Nettles (1968), Jason Kipnis (2011), Trevor Story (2016), Aristides Aquino (2019), Bobby Dalbec (2020), and Valdez.
Valdez’s exploits at the plate have drawn notable attention. After a 461-foot homer on Sunday, Reds closer Pierce Johnson exchanged words with the rookie as he circled the bases, underscoring the impact Valdez has already had. His power at PNC Park set a Statcast-era record for the longest homer by a rookie there, surpassing Aaron Judge’s 457-footer in 2017. The Pirates’ young outfielder has shown impressive growth, having hit 26 homers across Single-A and Double-A before reaching the majors, despite scouting reports suggesting contact issues against quality fastballs. In his current stretch, Valdez has been handling nearly every pitch well, posting a .500/.526/.1.167 slash line over his last six games.
Valdez began his major league career with a slow .083 batting average over 10 games, but he quickly began to rebound and make up for his early struggles.