BA GRADE
65
Risk: Extreme
FB: 70.
CB: 55.
CHG: 70.
CTL: 50.
Born: March 9, 1998. B-T: R-R. Ht: 6-0. Wt: 160. Signed: Venezuela, 2014. Signed by: Eddie Romero/Manny Padron (Red Sox).
The Padres acquired the touted Espinoza from the Red Sox for Drew Pomeranz at the 2016 all-star break, and the deal carried repercussions. Major League Baseball later ruled the Padres did not properly disclose Pomeranz’s medical history and suspended general manager A.J. Preller 30 days over the deal. In a twist of fate, Espinoza missed all of 2017 due to injury and projects to miss all of 2018 too. He began the year on the disabled list with forearm soreness, aborted two rehab attempts, and ultimately had Tommy John surgery in August.
When healthy, Espinoza is an undersized righthander with an electric arm who draws comparisons with the late Yordano Ventura. With an athletic delivery and a lightning-fast arm, Espinoza works 95-98 mph with his four-seam fastball with so much late tail it looks a two-seamer. He pitches to both sides of the plate and complements his heater with a dastardly mid-80s changeup. His upper-70s curveball had made strides and flashed plus with 11-to-5 movement. Durability is Espinoza’s main concern after he visibly tired the second half of his 108-inning run in 2016, and he now will miss two full seasons with arm trouble.
Espinoza has front-of-the-rotation stuff, but it remains to be seen if it will come back post-surgery. He is scheduled to begin his throwing program in January, and his return to the mound is targeted for 2018 instructional league.
Year |
Club (League) |
Class |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
2015 |
Red Sox2 (DSL) |
R |
0 |
0 |
1.20 |
4 |
4 |
|
Red Sox (GCL) |
R |
0 |
1 |
0.68 |
10 |
10 |
|
Greenville (SAL) |
LoA |
0 |
1 |
8.10 |
1 |
1 |
2016 |
Greenville (SAL) |
LoA |
5 |
8 |
4.38 |
17 |
17 |
|
Fort Wayne (MWL) |
LoA |
1 |
3 |
4.73 |
8 |
7 |
2017 |
Did not play—Injured |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Minor League Totals |
6 |
13 |
3.35 |
40 |
39 |
||
Year |
Club (League) |
CG |
SV |
IP |
H |
HR |
2015 |
Red Sox2 (DSL) |
0 |
0 |
15 |
13 |
0 |
|
Red Sox (GCL) |
0 |
0 |
40 |
24 |
0 |
|
Greenville (SAL) |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
2016 |
Greenville (SAL) |
0 |
0 |
76 |
77 |
2 |
|
Fort Wayne (MWL) |
0 |
0 |
32 |
38 |
1 |
2017 |
Did not play—Injured |
|
|
|
|
|
Minor League Totals |
0 |
0 |
167 |
156 |
3 |
|
Year |
Club (League) |
BB |
SO |
K/9 |
WHIP |
AVG |
2015 |
Red Sox2 (DSL) |
3 |
21 |
12.6 |
1.07 |
.232 |
|
Red Sox (GCL) |
9 |
40 |
9.0 |
0.83 |
.170 |
|
Greenville (SAL) |
2 |
4 |
10.8 |
1.80 |
.267 |
2016 |
Greenville (SAL) |
27 |
72 |
8.5 |
1.37 |
.269 |
|
Fort Wayne (MWL) |
8 |
28 |
7.8 |
1.42 |
.290 |
2017 |
Did not play—Injured |
|
|
|
|
|
Minor League Totals |
49 |
165 |
8.9 |
1.23 |
.248 |
|