Pirates Slugger Esmerlyn Valdez Earns MLB Honor Following Historic July originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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After a slow start to his 2026 season, Esmerlyn Valdez has emerged as one of the most valuable hitters in the Pirates‘ lineup. He was recently rewarded for a hot stretch, as he was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for July.
Since returning to the main roster in June, Valdez has been electric at the plate, slashing .279/.383/.643 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs. He has been an instrumental part of Pittsburgh’s offensive turnaround, as the Bucs are second in the league in runs as of Aug. 3.
Your AL and NL Rookies of the Month for July:
Chase DeLauter: .298 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, .857 OPS
Esmerlyn Valdez: .250 AVG, 8 HR, 25 RBI, .942 OPS pic.twitter.com/BrMpP9Mdza— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2026
Esmerlyn Valdez stats for July 2026
In July, Valdez led all rookies in home runs (eight), total bases (54) and slugging percentage (.587). He finished with 25 RBIs in July, tied for the most in MLB with the Reds’ Sal Stewart. He also drew 15 walks last month, tied for the most among all rookies with the Giants’ Bryce Eldridge.
“This is a player who has continued to improve,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington recently said on 93.7 The Fan (via MLB.com). “We’ve taken the feedback he’s gotten and done something with it. I think we’re seeing that at the Major League level, too.”
| Stat | Value |
| G | 25 |
| AB | 92 |
| H | 23 |
| 2B | 5 |
| 3B | 1 |
| HR | 8 |
| RBI | 25 |
| R | 17 |
| BB | 15 |
| SO | 38 |
| BA | .250 |
| OBP | .355 |
| SLG | .587 |
| OPS | .942 |
Esmerlyn Valdez stats for 2026 season
| Stat | Value |
| G | 44 |
| AB | 145 |
| H | 38 |
| 2B | 9 |
| 3B | 1 |
| HR | 14 |
| RBI | 38 |
| R | 27 |
| BB | 24 |
| SO | 60 |
| BA | .262 |
| OBP | .366 |
| SLG | .628 |
| OPS | .994 |
Pirates upcoming schedule 2026
Here is the Pirates’ upcoming schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Aug. 3 | at Brewers | 7:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 4 | at Brewers | 7:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 5 | at Brewers | 7:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 6 | at Brewers | 2:10 p.m. |
| Aug. 7 | vs. Mets | 6:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 8 | vs. Mets | 6:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 9 | vs. Mets | 1:35 p.m. |
| Aug. 11 | at Marlins | 6:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 12 | at Marlins | 6:40 p.m. |
| Aug. 13 | at Marlins | 1:10 p.m. |
