Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SD | RHP | 7 | 45 |
Grades Update: Mar 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 60 | 60 | 50 | 45/40 |
Mar 2021 Report
Evaluator: Joe Drake
Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2014 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Medium size frame; lean with average muscle mass. Wide shoulders and back with long arms and big hands. Pronounced glutes and thick thighs. Athletic and mobile. Frame is mostly filled out, but there's some room in the shoulder girdle/chest for good weight. Tommy John Surgery in 2017 and second Tommy John Surgery to fix ruptured graft (the "new UCL") in 2019. Has not thrown a professional pitch since 8/31/2016.
Delivery & Mechanics: Abbreviated windup; Angled to 3rd base side, small rocker step before leg kick to the letters. Torso and hips coil moderately, showing numbers to the hitter. Long arm stroke drops down behind body and comes through at 3/4s slot; moderately low finish. Above-average separation, arm typically on time. Moderate effort operation. Nearly identical from stretch.
Fastball: 94-97; Good ride and good run, really bites armside. Induces pop-ups and whiffs. Hitters struggle to square it up. Jumps out of his hand. Struggles to locate at times, usually missing high. Grade: 60
Curveball: 78-80; Tight spin, big, sharp vertical break; 11-5 shape. Hammer. Tunnels and mirrors the fastball well which helps it play up. Flashes double plus. Out pitch. Buries it well and gets hitters out in front and swinging through it. Tries to drop it in for a strike at times, but those tend to be loopier and give up contact. Grade: 60
Changeup: Some fade with solid tumble. Sells very well with armspeed and has solid separation. Hitters struggle to identify and swing over it, often looking bad. Primarily used against lefties. Locates pretty well down and armside, just out of the zone. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Typically around the zone, but a little wild. Issues locating the fastball at times. Pounds the curve low, gloveside but a few get away here and there. Good feel for change release and location. Control: 45 | Command: 40
Overall: To address the enormous elephant in the room first: Espinoza hasn't pitched in a game that counts since August of 2016 due to multiple TJ surgeries. While he was truly electric the last time we saw him on the mound, that was 4+ years ago at this point. A source that saw him at 2020 instructs noted that despite sitting 93-97, he looked rusty and lacked feel and the pedestrian data we saw backed that up full force. That's not unexpected for a pitcher who has missed so much time, but we can't assume that he'll return to form at this point.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Spot Starter or Low Leverage Reliever
Risk: Extreme
