Valdez Shatters Rookie Records | Pittsburgh News

Pirates’ 22-year-old outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez just won National League Rookie of the Month for July, smashing eight homers, five doubles, a triple, and driving in 25 runs — leading all rookies in HRs, slugging pct, total bases, and extra-base hits. He’s now one of just three Pirates rookies ever to drive in 25+ runs in a month, joining legends Wally Westlake and Pedro Alvarez. Valdez also joins six other Pirate rookies in history to hit eight or more homers in a single month. His breakout follows Paul Skenes’ recent award, highlighting Pittsburgh’s rising young stars. The Pirates head to Milwaukee for a four-game series — fingers crossed Valdez keeps crushing it. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/2bc9a2323e331be3