The Pirates have been notoriously powerless in recent seasons, routinely finishing near the bottom of the team home run stats. They were dead last in 2025 with only 117 homers, 31 fewer than the next-worst, the Cardinals. But the Arizona Fall League’s Home Run Derby on Saturday night offers some hope. A Pirates prospect not only won the event, he beat out another future Bucco.
Tony Blanco Jr. outlasted Esmerlyn Valdez, 3-2 in the final round, which featured nine swings for the title. On the night, Blanco slugged 24 home runs, with Valdez clubbing 16.
The 6-foot-7, 243-pound Blanco hit one homer at 122.9 miles per hour, which was harder than any home run in an MLB game or MLB Home Run Derby in the Statcast era, which goes back to 2015. Another long ball left the stadium and landed on the roof of a building.
Blanco is rated as the Pirates’ number 30 prospect. Valdez, who leads the AFL in homers with eight, is ranked number 15.
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