| Daniel Espino | |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: January 5, 2001 Panama City, Panama | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Daniel Andres Espino (born January 5, 2001) is a Panamanian professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.
Espino was born and raised in Panama.[1] He came to the United States during the Summer of 2016 with the Albany Paulies Baseball Program in Albany, Georgia; program that help him to find an opportunity to moved to the United States as a sophomore in high school and began attending Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, Georgia.[2][3][4][5] As a senior in 2019, he went 9-0 with a 0.32 ERA.[6] He committed to play college baseball at Louisiana State University.[7]
Espino was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round, with the 24th overall selection, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[8] He signed for $2.5 million and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Indians.[9] After pitching to a 1.98 ERA over six starts, he was promoted to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.[10] Over nine starts between both teams, Espino went 0-3 with a 3.80 ERA, striking out 34 over 23+2⁄3 innings.[11] Espino did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the season.[12]
Espino split the 2021 season between the Lynchburg Hillcats and the Lake County Captains, starting twenty games and going 3-8 with a 3.73 ERA and 152 strikeouts over 91+2⁄3 innings.[13]