Greensboro manager Blake Butler recalls looking up Esmerlyn Valdez’s hitting statistics last season for low Class A Bradenton and being impressed, but slightly concerned. 

In 107 games with the Marauders, Valdez struck out 133 times, produced a 30.5% strikeout rate and led the Florida State League with 22 home runs while slashing .226/.352/.464 with an .816 OPS.

Butler's first thought: “OK, he’s going to be a strikeout-home run guy."

Valdez is now doing everything to prove that notion wrong. 

In 67 games for high Class A Greensboro this season, Valdez, 21, has taken steps forward to climb the rankings of the Pirates’ organization. He’s still producing eye-popping power numbers as he leads the South Atlantic League in home runs (19), RBIs (52), hits (81), batting average (.312), slugging percentage (.608) and OPS (.999), but he’s also dropped his strikeout rate to 24.1%. 

"He was looking at the same stats that I was looking at from last year and he was like ‘No, I don’t want to be a strikeout-home run guy,’ " Butler said. "Now he’s hitting over .300 in the league, hitting line drives all over the field and when someone hangs a breaking ball, he sends it over the fence."

Valdez hasn’t cracked the Pirates’ Top 30 prospects list on MLB Pipeline, but is ranked No. 22 on Baseball America’s most recent list and is getting more attention as his breakout season continues. 

GREG MACAFEE / DKPS

Esmerlyn Valdez rounds third base at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

His improvement comes from developing a mature hitting approach and a professional demeanor as he continues to learn what it takes to succeed professionally.

Valdez, who stands at 6-2, 181 pounds, is a native of San Juan La Maguana, Dominican Republic, and signed with the Pirates in 2021. He spent his first season in the Dominican Republic and the last three between rookie ball and Bradenton.

After his first full professional season last year, Valdez wanted to take a step forward. He sought advice this offseason from Jean Segura, who is from San Juan La Maguana as well and played 12 years in the major leagues.

“The big thing that he told me was ‘Just have fun and make sure you have a plan. The game is going to be up and down, you just have to stay level.’ ” Valdez told me through hitting coach Jonathan Prieto last week in Greenville, S.C., where the Grasshoppers were playing the Red Sox’s affiliate. “That’s basically what I’m doing right now. ‘Have fun’ is something that I’ve reminded myself of all the time and it’s helped.”

While displaying a smile that never seems to leave his face, Valdez is not just relying on his raw power anymore, something he admitted to doing last year in Bradenton. He’s started to study hitting reports and is using them to refine his approach and find any advantage.

He’s looking at hit maps, interpreting a pitcher’s velocity, their pitch selection, where they might like to attack him in the zone and if they go to a certain pitch in different counts. He’s using all that information to play to his strengths. 

“He knew he had the raw power and he was just swinging at a big zone,” Prieto said. “Now, he knows where he can do damage, so he’s more around that zone, rather than just chasing.” 

Valdez has hit four home runs in his last seven games and hit two and a double against Greenville on June 21, while driving in five runs in a 12-2 win. He’s not just pulling the ball either. He hit home runs to center and right center against Greenville while also sending a ball over 401 feet to dead center against the Braves’ affiliate in Rome, Ga., the week prior.

GREG MACAFEE / DKPS

Esmerlyn Valdez celebrates with Jase Bowen after a home run at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

“You see him caring about hitting, not just trying to hit the ball as hard as he can all the time,” Butler said. “When you do that, you are able to have more discipline. You are able to get more balls in the middle because you are able to have more plus counts. Then, when you get balls in the middle, that’s when you can do your damage.” 

One might look at Valdez’s numbers and think he’s benefiting from playing at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, N.C., where baseballs are known to fly far. But Valdez is hitting wherever he goes. 

In 32 home games, Valdez has slashed .298/.375/.612 with a .987 OPS, hitting 10 home runs and driving in 27 runs. In 35 road games, he’s slashing .324/.405/.604 with a 1.009 OPS. He’s hit nine home runs and 12 doubles while recording 25 RBIs and 17 walks. 

“He has the potential to leave any yard he plays in,” Butler said. “We try not to lean too much into the Greensboro thing because we don’t want guys to overthink it, because then they start trying to do it. But I think it says a lot about him and his approach to the game. He’s not just cheating the ball to pullside in Greensboro, it’s happening everywhere. Hopefully, he continues to do it and is able to get the opportunity to do it at a higher level and prove that this is real.”