Cleveland Indians: Three surprising prospects who could debut in 2021

Daniel Espino

While Ethan Hankins has more experience to this point, there will be another prospect breathing down his neck for that fifth spot in the rotation, and that’s fellow 20-year old Daniel Espino. Depending on how they both play, it could be a sprint to the majors between Hankins and Espino.

The 24th pick of the 2019 MLB Draft, Espino has barely been able to taste professional baseball, but the potential is obviously there. Despite that, his current estimated debut is expected to be in the 2023 season. With that being said, it would be a bit of shock to see him in the majors this season, but it isn’t impossible.

Of these three, Espino has the longest road to the majors, but being the No. 7 prospect in the organization, he still has the opportunity to raise eyebrows during the season and at least create buzz. If he would end up making his debut for the Cleveland Indians in 2021, it wouldn’t come until the very tail end of the year and would probably only be a spot start at best.

If he wants to debut before that it would most likely take an extreme circumstance of a trade, injury, etc. However, it shouldn’t be pushed out of the club’s mind as a possibility given the hype that has surrounded him since being drafted.