Pirates Can’t Afford Esmerlyn Valdez Fall Off
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates offense, as a whole, hasn't performed up to expectations over the past couple of weeks, but one player has really struggled recently.
Rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez has had a tough time at the plate, going from one of the Pirates' best hitters to one of their worst in a short span of time.
Valdez has just three hits in his past 38 at-bats in his past 13 games, amounting to a .079 batting average during that span.
It's the first slump of his young major league career, but it's imperative for the Pirates that they get their burgeoning slugger back to the form he had over his first few weeks.
Overview of Valdez Struggling From the Plate
The beginning of his slump started in the 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at PNC Park on Aug. 10, where he took a hit-by-pitch on the left hand and departed the game.
Valdez would eventually return the next game after the battery of tests he underwent showed no fracture, but he hasn't hit well since then.
He would get two hits in the next three games, but went seven games and was 0-for-19 before breaking his hitless streak in the eighth inning of the 9-0 win over the New York Mets at PNC Park on Aug. 8.
One of the encouraging parts of his slump, where there aren't many, is that he has 14 walks to 19 strikeouts, giving him a .333 on-base percentage.
The Pirates have also tried to help Valdez out, having him hit seventh and fifth vs. the Mets and also played him in left field twice as well, making lineup changes for the rookie and lessening his responsibilities from his usual fourth spot in the batting order.
Pirates Confident Valdez Can Turn it Around
It's been a bad two weeks for Valdez, and he capped it off with four strikeouts in the 11-1 loss to the Mets in the series finale on Aug. 9.
Pirates manager Don Kelly has faith in Valdez and believes that he can work through this slump, figuring out how pitchers are attacking him different
"Confidence. Need to continue to work," Kelly said on Valdez after the Mets series. "I think that comes from the work, it comes from his preparation, his mindset. We talked about it before the game a little bit, just with how he's been able to walk during it.
"Was hoping that the base hit last night would jumpstart him a little bit because it's confidence. He's shown that he has the ability to do it and to believe in himself, keep working, and find a way to get out of this little rut."
Valdez had an incredible stretch for the Pirates before this slump, batting .333/.432/.796 for an OPS of 1.228 in 26 games from June 25-July 26, with 12 home runs, 30 RBI, 31 hits and five doubles.
He won National League Rookie of the Month honors for July and was the Pirates' best hitter during that time, bringing the power and plate discipline that he showed throughout his past two seasons in the minor leagues.
The Pirates really need Valdez hitting the way he did again, especially as they're getting close to already getting too far out of competing for the postseason.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.