Esmerlyn Valdez's Monster Day Leads Pirates to Win Over Brewers

In a lineup that's dealing with quite a few injuries at the moment, Esmerlyn Valdez has become a hero for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the bottom of the seventh inning during the Pirates' first game of their doubleheader against the National League-central leading Milwaukee Brewers, Valdez launched a grand slam off Aaron Ashby to put Pittsburgh ahead 7-6, and that score would hold for good despite a scare in the top of the ninth.

GRAND SLAM ESMERLYN VALDEZ ‼️

His second homer of the day and the @Pirates have the lead! pic.twitter.com/IC7oCcZNKv
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026

It marked Valdez's second homer of the game, with his first being of the solo variety off Milwaukee starter Brandon Sproat in the third inning.

The right-handed slugger is now batting .314/.375/.709 on the season, and he has all the potential in the world to become a constant middle-of-the-order presence for the Pirates for years to come.

Just How Special is Valdez?

It wasn't long ago that the Pirates were lacking on up-and-coming position player talent. Now, it feels like they're flush with it.

From Konnor Griffin to Endy Rodríguez and Nick Gonzales, among others, Pittsburgh has a number of potential core pieces under club control for the foreseeable future who have already made an impact at the major league level.

Along with several top prospects making their way through the farm system, Valdez could end up as one of the best players amongst this current wave for the Pirates as they look to open up their contending window.

The 22-year-old has done nothing but rake since making his big-league debut back in May, and while he was briefly optioned back to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 28, he's since become a centerpiece of Pittsburgh's lineup upon being recalled on June 11.

Jun 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) hits an RBI double against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While it's a small sample size, Valdez's batted ball data backs up the numbers he's putting up. Coming into July 11, he owned an expected slugging percentage of .545 to go with a barrel rate of 28.0 percent, a hard-hit rate of 50.0 percent and an xwOBA of .359.

All of those marks are elite, and they're sure to improve after his performance against Milwaukee.

Valdez isn't just a one-way player either; per Baseball Savant, he has logged two Outs Above Average in right field for the Pirates as well.

The concerns with Valdez's profile are his strikeout and whiff rates. As long as he doesn't continue to go down on strikes at around a 36 percent clip, though, it'll be easy to overlook if he keeps knocking the ball around the yard in Pittsburgh while remaining stout with the glove.

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