Esmerlyn
Valdez
RFAge : 22Bats : R
#55
Esmerlyn Valdez
#55RF
Pittsburgh Pirates
Height : 6' 2" · Weight : 106 kg · Bats : R · Throws : R · MLB debut : 2026-05-22
Born in : San Juan La Maguana, Dominican Republic
MLB record
| Year | Team | PJ | AB | H | HR | PP | MOY | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 72 | 241 | 56 | 17 | 47 | .232 | .855 |
| Career totals | 72 | 241 | 56 | 17 | 47 | .232 | .855 | |
ContractPittsburgh Pirates payroll →
- Type
- Pre-Arbitration
- Length
- 1 yr · 2026–2026
- Total value
- 0.8 M$
- AAV
- 0.78 M$
2026
0.78 M$
Pre-arb
2027
—
Pre-arb
2028
—
Pre-arb
2029
—
Pre-arb
2030
—
Arb 1
2031
—
Arb 2
2032
—
Arb 3
Advanced stats, 2026HitterMLB stats →
wRC+
130
wOBA
.368
xwOBA
.332
OPS
.855
AVG
.232
OBP
.345
HR
17
RBI
47
SB
0
PA
287
Stats: MLB (statsapi) and Baseball Savant.
2027 projectionMLB trends →
Projected WAR
1.5
Home runs
18
2026 WAR
1.4
This season's pace, over the average of the last two workloads, adjusted for next year's age.
Trend
→ Stable (0)
- 20261.4 WAR · 2.9 per full season
Outlook, age included
+25 · 22 y.o. · usually still improving
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026All ratings →
Ratings from 0 to 100, computed from Statcast and MLB stats over four seasons, never by hand. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
78
Established regular
- CON
- Contact
- 49
- POW
- Power
- 86
- EYE
- Eye
- 77
- SPD
- Speed
- 75
- FLD
- Fielding
- 72
- DUR
- Durability
- 45
- EX
- Experience
- 24
Why these ratings?Hide details
- CON — Contact : Strikeouts avoided, xBA, squared-up contact
- POW — Power : Barrels, exit velocity, home runs, xSLG
- EYE — Eye : Walks and strikeouts
- SPD — Speed : Sprint speed (Statcast), baserunning
- FLD — Fielding : Outs above average, WAR fielding runs
- DUR — Durability : Games played over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the majors
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026How we rate →
WAR is fWAR (FanGraphs' version, distributed through MLB's API): wins added above a replacement player. PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same role (50 = median).
PAL: dimensions
WAR, in runs
StatcastStatcast leaderboards →
MLB's tracking of every ball, 2026 season. The percentile ranks the player among regulars in the role: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Avg exit velocity
91.9 mi/h
90th percentile
Max exit velocity
112.7 mi/h
75th percentile
Barrels
19.9 %
100th percentile
Hard-hit
49.3 %
90th percentile
xBA
.200
2th percentile
Bat speed
74.8 mi/h
85th percentile
Sprint speed
28.1 pi/s
69th percentile
Outs above average
2
66th percentile
Game log, 2026
| Date | Opponent | AB | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | @ CHC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .232 |
| Sep 9 | @ CWS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .235 |
| Sep 8 | @ CWS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .233 |
| Sep 6 | vs LAA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .233 |
| Sep 5 | vs LAA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .236 |
| Sep 2 | vs SF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .239 |
| Sep 1 | vs SF | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .243 |
| Aug 30 | @ STL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .244 |
| Aug 28 | @ STL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .244 |
| Aug 26 | @ SD | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .249 |