Pirates' Esmerlyn Valdez Crushes First PNC Park Home Run
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez has only just begun his major league career, but he's quickly showing he's ready for the challenge.
Valdez hit his first home run in the bottom of the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 26, his first home run at the ball park.
It was an impressive hit, as he got on a 86.6 mph slider on the outside corner from Cubs left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Wicks and sent it 105.5 mph off the bat and 415 feet into the bullpen in center field.
Esmerlyn Valdez homers in his first at-bat at PNC Park!
— MLB (@MLB) May 26, 2026
The @Pirates have scored FIVE in the 1st inning 😳 pic.twitter.com/UeoHPqN07v
It was a two-run home run, as center fielder Oneil Cruz had singled prior and culminated a five-run first inning for the Pirates.
Valdez Showing Power Early in MLB Career
The Pirates recalled Valdez on May 22 and he's already displaying impressive power early on in the major leagues.
It marks the second home run for Valdez since he made his MLB debut, as he hit a two-run home run in the 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the series finale at Rogers Centre on May 24.
Valdez didn't quite crush that home run, hitting it 94.5 mph and 345 feet, but it did go over the right field wall for an opposite-field shot that gave the Pirates an important win and avoided a sweep.
He is one of just seven Pirates players that have hit two home runs in their first four games and the first since Austin Meadows in 2018.
Pirates Have Great Right-Handed Power Bat
This home run that Valdez hit, and the one prior in Toronto, aren't anything seriously surprising, considering how impressive he's been at the plate since the start of 2025.
He hit 20 home runs in just 72 games for High-A Greensboro and hit six more with Double-A Altoona, finishing with 26 home runs in 2025, the most of any Pirates minor leaguer last season.
Valdez continued showing his power in the Arizona Fall League, hitting eight home runs and earning AFL Offensive Player of the Year Honors, plus a spot in both the Fall Stars Game and the AFL Home Run Derby.
He also had 10 home runs with Triple-A Indianapolis in just 46 games, which had him tied for seventh-most in the International League at the time of his promotion.
The Pirates have searched for a right-handed power bat and Valdez is looking like he could fulfill that role this season and for the future.
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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.