Esmerlyn Valdez is turning heads in the Pirates’ farm system after a monster 2025 season. He wasn’t even on the team’s top 30 prospects list at the start of last year, but his bat did all the talking—leading the South Atlantic League in nearly every major category before earning a promotion to Double-A. Valdez capped off his year with a record-setting playoff performance and then dominated the Arizona Fall League, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors. With MLB Pipeline’s re-ranking coming up, could Valdez be the next big name to watch in Pittsburgh? What do you think his ceiling is? #Sports #Baseball #Pirates