Daniel
Espino

8/8/18 - Tossed two perfect innings, striking out one. He was 95-97 against the leadoff hitter—2020 OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Harvard-Westlake HS, CA)—and got him to chase a slider in the dirt for his lone strikeout. After that, he pitched at 93-95. He only threw a couple sliders at 80-81, one of which slipped out of his hand, and he showed feel for a running CH at 76. He also mixed in a soft curveball at 73. Espino has a long, one-piece arm action and pitches with a slow tempo.

8/3/18 - Dazzled all in attendance with an overpowering 94-99 mph fastball and a hard 80-81 mph curveball from a ¾ slot. Conservatively, the breaker was a plus pitch as right-handed hitters wanted no part of it with the hump out of the hand looking very similar to a forthcoming up/in fastball. He struck out six of the nine batters he faced without allowing a hit. Espino profiles as a starter for me with very good balance, a soft landing and solid direction to the plate.

7/20/18 - There was plenty of big velo being thrown around, but Espino was the big winner. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound LSU recruit touched 99 and pitched at 95-98 with his fastball. While he rightfully lived off his fastball, Espino also flashed a sharp 76 mph curveball with downer action and an 81 mph slider, showing feel for both. Espino, who’s currently ranked No. 3 overall, has a strong, mature build and generates top-of-the-scale velocity with less effort than one would think a high school kid pumping upper-90s would need. He works out of a simple side step delivery with a slight pause to gather himself. He has a long, uninterrupted one-piece arm action, generating electric arm speed at foot strike. A native of Panama, Espino was around the zone with everything, further establishing himself as the premier power arm in a shallow 2019 pitcher draft class.