Former Guardians top prospect becoming weapon in minors thanks to role change

Three years ago, Daniel Espino was the Guardians’ top pitching prospect and one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball. 

And while his standing as a prospect has taken a serious hit in the time since, he’s finally back healthy and producing in the minors for the Cleveland Guardians. 

Albeit in a bit of a new role. 

After starting his career as a starter, Espino made his debut as a reliever last season in Triple-A Columbus. And that transition stuck, as he’s been working as a full-time reliever this year in Triple-A Columbus and has posted a 1.35 ERA in 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts. 

Daniel Espino is working his way into Guardians’ big league bullpen picture 

On Sunday, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti spoke about the team’s minor league picture, where he called Espino's production "one of the highlights of the season” for the Guardians.

Last fall Espino showcased his electric arsenal when he posted 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the AFL and was named to the league's All-Star team, and he’s carried that momentum into this season. 

Not only has he reached 100 miles per hour on his fastball, but he’s gotten hitters to whiff on an eye-popping 44% of their swings.

He may not be the frontline starter that we all expected him to be when he burst onto the scene in 2022, but it seems like he and the Guardians have found a way to get the most out of his arsenal while maintaining his health.

Part of the reason they’ve been able to maintain that health has been by managing his usage, as he’s currently only pitching every three days. While that’s great in the minors since the results don’t matter, it’s going to be tough for the Guardians to add him to their big league roster with that regimented usage. 

It’s one thing for them to do that with Rule 5 pick Peyton Pallette; it’s another thing for them to do so with an impact call-up like Espino. 

The Guardians’ bullpen may end up forcing the front office’s hand, however. Cade Smith seems to have found his groove after a rough start to the season, but he’s one of three relievers in Cleveland’s ‘pen who entered play on Tuesday with an ERA under 4.10 (Erik Sabrowski and Pallette are the other two). 

Cleveland’s also been operating without a true long reliever in the time since they designated Kolby Allard for assignment, and it’s hard to imagine they’d add Espino to their bullpen without the built-in insurance of having someone who could cover multiple innings on the days when Espino wouldn’t be able to pitch. 

Espino’s going to make his big league debut at some point for the Guardians this season; Antonetti said it himself. But it’s also clear that there are still some things that need to be ironed out before that debut can happen. 

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