Espino named High-A Central League Pitcher of the Week

(Eastlake, OH) – Lake County Captains RHP Daniel Espino has been named the High-A Central League Pitcher of the Week for the final week of the 2021 regular season, September 13-19.

Espino, Cleveland’s first round pick in 2019, delivered a lights-out performance on Saturday night that kept the Captains’ playoff dreams alive. The 20-year old right-hander from Panama held the Beloit Snappers scoreless over a career-high 6.2 innings, pitching a full inning longer than any prior start in his professional career. Espino limited Beloit to just two hits, walked none and struck out 10. He earned the victory in a 4-0 Lake County win.

Across his 10 starts with the Captains, nobody in all of High-A was a better strikeout pitcher than Espino. Among High-A pitchers with 40 or more innings pitched, Espino’s 45.1 K% led the pack, according to FanGraphs. His 36.9 K-BB% was the second-best in High-A and the best in the High-A Central League.

Over his final eight starts with the Captains, Espino struck out 10 or more batters six times. Cleveland’s #5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, struck out a league-leading 75 batters in just 40 innings over that span (16.88 K/9). No other High-A Central League pitcher struck out more than 59 during that stretch.

About the Captains

The Lake County Captains are the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. For more information, visit the Captains’ website at www.CaptainsBaseball.com, Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/CaptainsBaseball, Twitter @LCCaptains and Instagram @LCCaptains. Fans can also get the latest Captains news and offers by signing up for the Captains’ newsletter, The Anchor.