Pirates selected the contracts of 1B/OF Esmerlyn Valdez, INF Jack Brannigan, LHP Tyler Samaniego, RHP Wilber Dotel, RHP Antwone Kelly and RHP Brandan Bidois from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Valdez is the clear headliner on the heels of a transcendent Arizona Fall League campaign where he batted .368/.513/.842 with eight round-trippers in 19 games. The 21-year-old slugger’s emergence gives the Pirates another potential high-impact bat to pair with blue-chip prospects Konnor Griffin and Edward Florentino, who will enter next season among the top-ranked talents in baseball. He’s officially protected from selection in next month’s Rule 5 Draft and should enter next spring as one of the more exciting talents for fantasy managers to monitor in the upper minors.