Konnor Griffin and Esmerlyn Valdez have been named to represent the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game. They’ll be part of a National League squad managed by former Atlanta Braves great Chipper Jones.
Konnor Griffin and Esmerlyn Valdez have been named to the National League roster for the 2025 All-Star Futures Game. pic.twitter.com/ykxvzYMyZW
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) June 30, 2025
Pirates Prospects Griffin and Valdez Named to Futures Game
A Future Star
Griffin, the Pirates’ No. 1 pick (ninth overall) in last year’s June Amateur Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood, Mississippi, is the best-known of the two. At six-foot-four, 225 pounds, he possesses speed, power, and a strong arm. He’s the Pirates’ No. 2 prospect. The 19-year-old right-handed batter was drafted as a shortstop. This is his first year in professional baseball. Griffin made the jump from Single-A Bradenton to High-A Greensboro. Due to his raw athleticism, it was thought that he’d play center field professionally. However, he’s played both shortstop and center field this season. Combined at the two levels, he’s hit .343/.412/.544, 12 HR, and 48 RBI while stealing 37 bases.
Griffin received the customary invitation to Pirates spring training. In his brief, eight-game exposure, he showed why he was a No. 1 choice and why he’s headed to the Futures Game. He was only 2-for-11, but one of those hits was an impressive opposite-field home run off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brandon Young. Defensively, he played center field like a seasoned professional. Pirates fans are understandably anxious to see him, and I don’t mean in a Futures Game. They want him in Pittsburgh yesterday. They’ll have to pump the brakes on that, but a promotion to Double-A Altoona may soon be in Griffin’s future.
Esmerlyn Who?
Valdez isn’t a ranked prospect, so if you think his selection is a bit out of left field, you’re close. He’s played 12 games in left field for the Greensboro Grasshoppers this season. But he’s also played 14 games at first base and seen most of his action in right field, where he’s played 30 games. The Pirates signed him as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2021. Four years later, the six-foot-two, 181-pound right-handed hitter leads the South Atlantic League with 20 home runs, four ahead of his closest competitor, teammate Javier Rivas.
Valdez’s first two professional seasons were, to borrow one of my father’s favorite expressions, nothing to write home about. However, in 2023, across rookie ball and Single-A, he hit .304/.374/.503, 6 HR, and 36 RBI. He showed some pop at Bradenton in 2024, hitting 22 home runs while slashing .226/.352/.464. This season, he’s put it all together and is hitting for average and power, at .303/.385/.592 to go with those 20 league-leading homers. Pittsburgh fans are weary of hearing of prospects while the Pirates continue to flounder, but they may find a ray of hope in this year’s Futures Game participants.
What? Where? When?
With apologies to Vinnie Barbarino, the Futures Game, pitting prospects of the NL and American League against one another, will be played at Truist Field in Atlanta on Saturday, July 12, at 4:00 PM Eastern. It can be watched on the MLB Network, MLB.TV, MLB.com, and the MLB App. Melanie Newman will describe the action, with analysts Yonder Alonso and Jonathan Mayo, and sideline reporter Sande Charles.
Main Photo Credits: David TuckerNews-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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