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Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Emserlyn Valdez already grabbed headlines for the team as a young breakout star, but he took it to another level on Saturday.
Valdez hit three home runs and drove in eight runs during a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. He homered twice in the first game, a 7-6 victory, which included a grand slam. He then hit another home run in the second game, a 3-2 win.
Valdez went 4-for-8 with three home runs, as he accounted for 11 runs scored. He is batting .330 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI through 27 games in his hot start with the Bucs, which had been a long time coming.
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It’s what the Pirates envisioned when he signed an international free agent deal in 2021. The Dominican Republic native moved his way up through the farm system over the past five years, and the patience has already paid off for the 22-year-old right-handed hitter.
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Valdez didn’t show the home run-hitting prowess right away in the Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League between 2021 and 2022. His 2023 season with the FCL and Single-A Bradenton Marauders only amounted to six home runs, but he broke out in 2024 with 22 home runs for the Marauders.
Valdez did more of the same in 2025 with 20 home runs for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, and he added another six that year with the Double-A Altoona Curve. His success carried over into this year, with 10 home runs for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians before the Pirates called him up.
He made the Pirates organization happy with that decision as he hit a two-run home run in the third game of his career against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 24. On Saturday, Valdez produced his first multi-home run game, and he homered for a third consecutive game. He can add to that in the series finale against the Brewers on Sunday.
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