Pirates Rookie Esmerlyn Valdez Hits 12th Home Run in First 31 Games

Valdez's two-run homer in the ninth inning of Pittsburgh's 7-1 victory over Cleveland on July 19, 2026, made him the fourth player in major league history to reach at least 12 home runs and 31 RBIs in his first 31 games, according to ESPN. The previous players to reach the marks were Rhys Hoskins with Philadelphia in 2017, Aristides Aquino with Cincinnati in 2018-19 and Will Smith with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019.

Valdez batted .368 with eight home runs in the Arizona Fall League. He went 5-for-17 in spring training, began the season at Triple-A Indianapolis and made his MLB debut on May 22 before a recall on June 11. He is hitting .370 with 18 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs.

He is the first Pirates hitter with an extra-base hit and an RBI in seven straight games since Willie Stargell in 1971. Valdez recorded 20 RBIs in July, leading the major leagues, and became the sixth Pittsburgh rookie since 2000 with at least 20 RBIs in a calendar month. He went 3-for-11 with two home runs and five RBIs in the weekend series against Cleveland.

Pirates manager Don Kelly said Valdez's power is not the only strength. "It's the professionalism of the at-bats. He's not going up there necessarily trying to hit the home runs. He's going up there to hit, and he's got the power to leave anywhere in the yard," Kelly said.

Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, who allowed one run and struck out eight in the victory, noted Valdez's plate discipline. "You see a lot of guys that can hit the ball really far and take big swings and hit the ball really hard, but you don't see guys very often that take big swings and hit the ball really hard, really far and not chase and put together as good at-bats as he does," Skenes said.

Valdez said through a translator that he prepared mentally and physically for the season. He added that the entire Pirates offense is contributing.