Esmerlyn Valdez is off to a historic start to his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Esmerlyn Valdez made his MLB debut just over a month ago, but he’s already showing why he’s been one of the more highly touted prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system.
The team is finally back over .500, and a lot of that has to do with Valdez’s current hot stretch at the plate.
During Pittsburgh’s series-opening win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, Valdez hit a deep home run over the left field wall. His two-run shot started a comeback by the Pirates, and they ended up winning 11-5.
This homer was impactful in terms of the game, but it also came with a little bit of Pirates franchise history, too.
Valdez has now hit a home run in four straight games. One against the Phillies, and one in each of Pittsburgh’s three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds from over the weekend.
Valdez is the first Pirates hitter to hit a home run in four straight games since Corey Dickerson in 2019. He’s also the third Pirates rookie to accomplish this feat in the modern era (1901). The other two players are Dick Stuart (1958) and Garrett Jones (2009).
It’s a small sample size, but Valdez is showing that he can be a key piece to this Pirates roster for a long time. The 22-year-old owns a .289/.360/.778 slash line with an average exit velocity of 95.5 mph.
Manager Don Kelly was impressed with Valdez's home run on Monday, but he was even more impressed with how he was able to work two walks and get a challenge overturned, a signal of just how well the rookie is seeing the ball at the plate right now.
The power Valdez has been able to supply at the plate over the last month has been a huge boost for the Pirates, especially with Oneal Cruz still on the injured list.
At some point, the rookie is going to cool down. However, Valdez was always viewed as a special rookie, and now he's off to a special and historic start to his big-league career.
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