Anderson Espinoza

Anderson José Espinoza (born March 9, 1998) is a Venezuelan pitcher who plays in the San Diego Padres minor league system. Listed at 6' 0" (1.83 m), 160 lb. (73 k), he bats and throws right handed.^[1]

Espinoza was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in October 2014, receiving a reported bonus of $1.8 million plus $200,000 in scholarship money. Additionally, Espinoza was Baseball America’s fourth-ranked international amateur prospect and top-ranked pitcher, while grabbing the number 10 spot on MLB.com’s list.^[2][3]

On July 14, 2016, the Red Sox traded Espinoza to the San Diego Padres in exhange for pitcher Drew Pomeranz.^[4]

Scouting report

According to baseball scouts, Espinoza features a solid three-pitch mix and has advanced pitchability, too, repeating his delivery and throwing strikes much more easily than a typical 17-year-old. He has been throwing his fastball in the low 90s and topping out at 94 with potential to throw even harder as he grows. His secondary pitches includes a sharp curveball in the 71–73 mph range and a sinking changeup as his third option. His arm is quick, and he delivers his pitches with clean mechanics and a minimum of effort.^[1]

Professional career

Espinoza joined the Dominican Summer League Red Sox 2 on June 1, 2015. He made quick work of that circuit, allowing only two earned runs on 13 hits and two walks for a 1.20 ERA, while striking out 21 batters in 15.0 innings. In addition to a strong statistical performance, his fastball was reported to touch 99 mph sometimes. He then earned a promotion to the rookie level Gulf Coast League Red Sox late in the month.^[5] Instead of finding himself challenged, Espinoza was even more dominant there, giving up just three earned runs in 40 innings, good for a 0.68 ERA to go with a .170 opponents batting average and 40 strikeouts against nine walks,^[1] helping the GCL Red Sox clinch their second title in a row. The precocious right-hander completed his third level of the season with his promotion to the Low A Greenville Drive, and made his first pitching appearance on September 5. With his debut, Espinoza became the first pitcher in his age 17 season to make a start in the full-season Single A South Atlantic League since 2006, when Deolis Guerra did it for the New York Mets affiliate Hagerstown Suns.^[6] In 15 starts between three levels, Espinoza posted a 1.23 ERA with 0.99 WHIP while striking out 65 in 58⅓ innings. He was kept on a strict four-inning limit per game.^[7]

Espinoza opened 2016 at Greenville, and ^[1] following his trade to the Padres, he was assigned to Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps. Espinoza finished 2016 posting a 6-11 record with a 4.49 ERA.^[8]

Espinoza is currently rated as the best prospect in the Padres organization, according to MLB.com.^[9]

Sources

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors), or MiLB.com, or SoxProspects.com