When the Pittsburgh Pirates called up top prospect Esmerlyn Valdez this season, they were hoping to get a big power bat. He has given the Pirates what they need on that front, and then some, after the Pirates gave him the opportunity with other players injured. The outfield prospect already has a dozen extra-base hits over his first 83 MLB plate appearances. That includes six homers, five doubles, and a triple. He is slugging .649 and has an isolated slugging percentage of .338 over the small sample size of play. He is forcing himself into the Pirates’ lineup.
However, coming up through the minor leagues, Valdez was looked at as a bat-first prospect. He played corner outfield and first base, with some believing he’d eventually have to move to first base and designated hitter in the long run. However, based on his first handful of MLB games, Valdez’s defense has become a strong suit of his.
Esmerlyn Valdez’s Defense Has Looked Very Good
Valdez has just about 150 innings in the outfield. In that time, he has +1 defensive run saved and +2 outs above average. He has shown above-average speed, with a 71st percentile sprint speed (28.1 feet/second). Valdez’s defense stats look good given the small sample size and a few good catches. He is getting very good jumps on flyballs at 35.1 feet. Valdez is covering more ground on his jump than Jackson Merrill, Denzel Clarke, Brenton Doyle, and Mike Trout.
Esmerlyn Valdez throws out the runner at 3rd!
An electric home debut for the @Pirates rookie ?☠️ https://t.co/LVSOssJeEo pic.twitter.com/561CJN31Wz
— MLB (@MLB) May 26, 2026
On top of that, Valdez is running good routes. According to Statcast, his routes come in at 0.5. He runs just as good of routes as Julio Rodriguez is, and better than Fernando Tatis Jr., Wilyer Abreu, and Ian Happ. He is also just two points or less behind Byron Buxton, Victor Scott II, Cody Bellinger, and Tyrone Taylor.
Rough Defensive Scouting Reports in the Minors
All of this is very surprising, and none of it aligns with what many scouting reports said about Valdez’s defense. Baseball America gave him a 40-grade for his defense. They describe a 40-grade as below average, and use Rafael Devers as an example of a 40-grade defender. They describe Valdez’s defense as having ‘limited value’. While they also state most scouts think he moves better in the outfield, they still gave his running a 40-grade. Baseball America even projected him as the team’s designated hitter by 2029.
MLB Pipeline believed more in Valdez’s defense. They gave him a 50-grade and praised the improvements he has made in the outfield. However, with how good he has looked in the grass, even that might be underselling him at this point. He has become an unquestionably above-average-looking defender throughout his first handful of MLB games, and has shown plenty of range.
Good Outfield Defense When Pirates Needed It Most
Prior to promoting Valdez, the Pirates mostly used Ryan O’Hearn in right field. While O’Hearn made some nice catches, his defense was still clearly below-average in the outfield. He has -5 defensive runs saved, with -4 outs above average in less than 350 innings in right field. O’Hearn ranks bottom ten in the league in both stats among all right fielders, despite his lack of regular playing time at the position.
Valdez’s power is living up to the expectations, and then some, but nobody expected Valdez’s defense to come anywhere close to this. Many even saw him as a potential option at first base eventually this season. Having Valdez in right field, and giving O’Hearn much more playing time at first base and designated hitter makes the Pirates’ defense on the right side of the field much better. Less balls should get down the right field line, and more flyballs to right field should get caught. That is the alignment the Bucs should stick with once the likes of Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz, and Konnor Griffin return from the injured list.
Main Photo Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
