In the midst of some frustrating games as the Guardians try to chase down a playoff spot, it’s important not to lose track of what Daniel Espino has done these past few days for Cleveland the journey he has taken to get to this point.
From the moment he was drafted in 2019, Guardians’ fans have been counting down the days to see Daniel Espino and his electric fastball, dynamic slider and devastating curveball in Cleveland. In 2022, Espino had knee surgery. He missed the 2023-2025 seasons almost entirely
with two separate shoulder surgeries, returning to the mound with Columbus just as the season finished last year. And, here we are, on September 8th, with a legitimate chance for Espino to finish a full season of pitching professional baseball (knock-on-wood, etc).
Espino has thrown 49 innings this season, so far, eight in the majors and 41 with Columbus. It looks as if the dreams of him becoming a starter are no longer on the table, so it’s high leverage reliever that’s in his sights. In Columbus, he has a 3.68 ERA/3.27 xERA and with Cleveland he has a 3.00 ERA/2.61 xERA. He’s got a 12/5 K/BB/9 in Columbus and a 17/4 K/BB/9 in the bigs. His stuff absolutely plays (108 Stuff+ grade on his fastball, 107 on the slider and 120 on the curve!), and it is simply an issue of getting delivery, command and pitch mix refined to make this man into an absolute menace at the back of the bullpen. Look at his Baseball Savant and you will see a ton of red, with only his walk issue, some lack of chase and not getting enough groundballs being areas where improvement is needed.
Given this is his first full season of professional baseball in four years, I think Guardians’ fans should be optimistic that Espino – a known gym rat – is going to attack an offseason plan with vigor to make the improvements needed to reduce the walk rate and get more chases on his pitches. Of course, the stupid lockout will throw a slight wrench into this, but you can bet the team is working right now with him to make sure he knows exactly what he needs to do. If you haven’t read Zack Meisel’s story about Espino’s journey for the Athletic, including the passing of his father and all the injury travails, it’s a must-click.
There is a lot to be excited about for Espino in the future. But, for now, can we just appreciate what Espino is doing? I mean, look at this electric 102 mph fastball he used to strikeout Dillon Dingler in a game the Guardians’ absolutely had to have last Friday:
Not only did Espino come into a crucial spot for the Guardians on Friday night (down 3-1 in the 7th), but he went TWO scoreless innings and struck out three batters, allowing one hit. He followed that up yesterday with a scoreless inning, allowing two hits, but striking out to two batters to get out of trouble.
I don’t know about you, but whatever else this season brings, I am excited to see Daniel Espino pitch for my favorite baseball team in this final stretch. He’s been through so much and is showing that the worst that can happen doesn’t have to be the final say in any situation if you’re willing to work hard and not give up. AND if you have an arm that sizzles with electricity. I will be rooting so hard for him to finish strong and set himself up as a high leverage option for the Guardians for the 2027 season and beyond.
