When the Cleveland Guardians took Daniel Espino with their first-round pick in 2019, they envisioned him in a starting role. In fact, from that moment until 2022, he was one of the best pitching prospects in baseball.
Then 2022 happened. That’s when shoulder injuries started to jeopardize his career, robbing him of about three full years of development.
He made his long-awaited return late last year and was, for the first time in years, healthy heading into the offseason. The Guardians, however, had a different role in mind for him in 2026.
They turned him into a reliever, perhaps with the intention of protecting his right arm from the wear and tear of starting. So far, the results have been amazing.
Espino has a 2.53 ERA in 10.2 innings in Triple-A Columbus as a reliever this year. Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis, and Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline had him as one of the prospects with closer potential in a recent piece they published, and if you consider the righty’s velocity, demeanor, and resilience, it’s actually the perfect role for him.
“A 2019 first-rounder from a Georgia high school, Espino ranked among baseball’s elite pitching prospects and was on the verge of the big leagues in April 2022. Then, knee tendinitis cascaded into shoulder problems that led to a pair of surgeries and sidelined him for nearly four seasons. He’s back now, averaging 97 mph and touching 101 with his fastball and pairing it with a low-90s slider. He sports a 2.79 ERA with a .206 opponent average and 11 strikeouts in 9 2/3 Triple-A innings,” Dykstra, Mayo, and Callis wrote.
Espino was a fantastic starting pitching prospect before the injuries, and most of the talent on his right arm is still there even after multiple procedures. The only thing that hasn’t fully returned is command, and he must cut down the walks if he wants to make it to the bigs this year.
So far, Espino has given away eight walks in his 10.2 frames, or 6.75 per nine innings. That’s way too high, but the sample is also very small.
Obviously, a promotion to the majors isn’t imminent. The Guardians probably don’t want to put too much stress on his mind and in his arm right now. The first half of the season is about getting him to regain the feel for pitching and adjusting to a new role.
If he dominates Triple-A for several months, then maybe the organization will think about making a move. It is, after all, his lifelong dream.
One thing is certain, though: he does look like a future closer.
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