Cleveland Sports Forum

Is Will Benson still around? Another 1st round bust.

In their first two games Akron pitchers

Logan Allen Jr. 4 1/3 IP 2 runs 1 homer 9K
Daniel Espino 4 IP 2 solo homers 9K
Xzavion Curry 4shutout IP only 7k

Benson ‘s in Columbus.

Grandma used to lose sleep, hitters soon will against Daniel Espino's 100-mph fastball
Brad Bournival
Akron Beacon Journal


Daniel Espino, Guardians top pitching prospect, speaks to the media during RubberDucks Media Day at Canal Park in Akron.
Daniel Espino’s grandmother lost a lot of sleep on the way to the right-hander’s trip to the Guardians organization.

It’s natural for relatives to fret over the future of family members, but grandma’s lack of shut-eye was quite literal.

As a young boy in Panama, he and his brother would come home from school and throw baseballs at a taped in strike zone on their home. The problem was many times grandma was trying to take a nap on the other side of the wall.

Fast forward a few years and the 21-year-old has a fastball that tops out over 100 mph with a 20-23-inch vertical break.

Espino has a 12-6 curveball, a slider that averages between 92 and 94 mph and a change-up that he throws with pinpoint accuracy.


“All of his pitches are way above average,” RubberDucks manager Rouglas Odor said. “He’s electric. You’re going to have a good time seeing him pitch here in Akron. I can’t wait to see him pitching. The minor leagues are about developing players and helping them learn how to win ballgames. It’s just a matter of him going out and showing he can do it consistently.”

Top Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino, left, talks with RubberDucks manager Rouglas Odor during RubberDucks Media Day at Canal Park in Akron.
Watching Espino pitch "is a religious experience"
ESPN’s Jeff Passan thinks so much of him that he said, “Once the likes of Grayson Rodriguez and George Kirby graduate this year, Espino will quickly enter the conversation for the best pitching prospect in baseball.”

He’s the No. 2 prospect in the organization behind RubberDucks teammate and outfielder George Valera.

Scouts who saw Espino pitch against minor leaguers from the Cincinnati Reds called it a "religious experience," according to Passan.

He’s not a deity, but his stuff is touched by the heavens, according to Ducks catcher Bo Naylor, who caught the game against the Reds.


“The guy has everything you can imagine that a pitcher needs,” Naylor said. “The sky is the limit for him. I’m very excited to be able to play with him and be there one on one with him. Being able to see him in his routines, his prep works, what he thinks about the game and how he’s deliberate, it’s really unmatched.

“Seeing it first-hand, you have a perspective of how the game is played by someone of his talent level. I feel like everybody is going to see the talent level he has and what he could be in the future. I’m very excited as well.”

RubberDucks pitcher Daniel Espino, the Guardians' top pitching prospect, speaks to the media during RubberDucks Media Day at Canal Park in Akron.
Even Espino knew he had something special
Naylor went on to say that, from the stands, Espino’s stuff looks like lightning, but behind the dish you see just how polished he is.

The numbers are enough to excite even the biggest skeptic, but even Espino knew he had something special early on.

He left his family when he was 15 and landed in Georgia, where he graduated from Bulloch Academy and trained and played for Georgia Premier in Statesboro.


His light-bulb moment happened at the East Coast Pro Showcase in Hoover, Alabama, when he first hit 100 mph as a 17-year-old.

“That’s something you don’t see a kid 17 years old doing that stuff,” Espino said. “That’s when I knew to keep working and put myself in a good spot and be in this position right now. You don’t feel it. You don’t think, ‘Oh. That hit 100.’”

Daniel Espino, Guardians top pitching prospect, speaks to the media during RubberDucks Media Day at Canal Park in Akron.
Espino roared through A ball
Organizations took notice and Cleveland took him with the 24th pick in the 2019 draft.

After losing the 2020 season to the pandemic, Espino came back with purpose.

He logged 152 strikeouts in 91⅔ innings between Lynchburg and Lake County. Opponents batted .170 when he started 10 games for the Captains to end 2021.

“That’s impressive,” Odor said. “If you consistently throw around 99 that means you threw some pitches over 100 miles per hour. The fact he’s so young and capable of throwing more than two or three innings that hard, it says a lot about him. I can’t wait to see him during the season.”

That next step could put him on the Guardians roster by the end of the season, according to some scouts.

For now, it’s all about staying in the here and now and not worrying about the future.

That said, Espino hinted at how excited he was to hone his skills on his way to the show.

Daniel Espino, Guardians top pitching prospect, speaks to the media during RubberDucks Media Day at Canal Park in Akron.
“You see the rotation up there,” Espino said. “You have [Shane] Bieber. You have T-Mac [Triston McKenzie]. You have Zach Plesac. They all grew up here in this organization. You see what they’re doing at the top level. I’m really excited to be in this organization. Getting to work with the pitching coordinators and everybody in the front office, the staff, it’s all really amazing.”


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Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.

Thanks buck!!

I have seen multiple national writers suggest that Espino could by the end of this summer be the No 1 Pitching Prospect in all of baseball.

I also note that on the Baseball America listing of the youngest players in each league as of opening day, Espino was the only pitcher among the 10 youngest players in the Eastern League

Also among the 10 youngest in the EL: Rocchio and Tena

in AAA International League Gabriel Arias despite repeating there is still the 5th youngest

in High A Midwest League Petey Halpin at age 19.8 is the 3rd youngest; IFs Gabriel Rodriguez and Angel Martinez also among the youngest 10

Our Lynchburg Low A team has no one under age 19 which is what it takes to qualify there

BA notes that the youngest in minor league levels are very likely, e,g Wander Franco, Juan Soto

away last week so couldn't comment on opening day rosters in general;

Lake County rotation is build around the top 3 draft picks last summer:
Williams debuted with 4 no hit innings; Nikazany less good; Mace didn't last one inning.

Lynchburg rotation is largely lower round 2021 picks. Among them is 5th rounder Tanner Bibee who BA noted earlier this spring as one of the kids catching scouts' notice in training camps. If I can re-locate the story I'll post it.

What's the likelihood of a 5th rounder hitting the majors? Here are past Cleveland 5th round picks who have reached the big leagues:
1967 pitcher Eating Ed Farmer
1985 pitcher Rod Nichols
1987 pitcher Tommy Kramer
1989 pitcher Alan Embree
1998 pitcher Ryan Dreese
2002 OF Ben Francisco
2006 pitcher Chris Archer
2008 pitcher Zach Putnam
2014 pitcher Julian Merryweather [now in the majors I think with one of the Florida teams]
2016 OF Ka'ai Tom
2018 Hall of Fame OF Steven Kwan

Maybe just a tad early on the Hall of Fame call for Kwan, Civ

Guardian affiliates split on Saturday, Oscar Gonzalez mashes homer No. 2

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for April 10, 2022

By Brian Hemminger@BrianHemminger Apr 11, 2022, 12:32pm EDT 15 Comments

Columbus Clippers 12, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 1

Oscar Gonzalez is picking up right where he left off.

After missing the first two games of the season, he’s now drilled two home runs in as many days. Gonzalez went 1-4 with a two-run opposite-field blast and a rare walk yesterday.

Everyone else on the Clippers roster had a big game too. A rehabbing Josh Naylor went 2-4 with a walk and three runs batted in. Gabriel Arias and Will Benson both went 3-5, Jose Fermin went 1-3 with a double and two walks and Richard Palacios went 2-6 with a double.

The best game of the day, however, went to journeyman Mitchell Tolman, who went 3-5 with a home run, two doubles, and a walk.

Starting pitcher Kirk McCarty didn’t care that he had 12 runs of support, he still pitched splendidly, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 4.0 innings pitched.

Robert Broom, Jake Jewel, Kevin Coulter, Thomas Ponticelli, and Ben Krauth all pitched one scoreless inning of relief, with only Krauth ruining the mojo by allowing a single hit in the ninth inning.

Akron RubberDucks 4, Erie SeaWolves 2

Tanner Burns was OK, but the real story of this game was six shutout innings of work from the bullpen, which allowed Akron to tie the game and then take the lead and win it.

Burns allowed two runs on four hits in 3.0 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. He was followed by two shutout frames from Andrew Misiasek, a scoreless inning from Jerson Ramirez, a stellar inning from Kyle Marman and a perfect 2.0 innings from Nic Enright, who struck out four batters to earn his first save.

The offense didn’t have much to write home about, but Bo Naylor went 2-4 with a double, Seth Caddell went 1-3 with a walk and Will Brennan played hero, going 2-5 with two runs batted in.

Of note, George Valera, Jose Tena, and Brayan Rocchio all walked once.

Lake County 5, Lansing Lugnuts 6

Cleveland 2021 second-round competitive balance pick Tommy Mace had a forgettable pro debut, failing to get out of the first inning after allowing three hits, two walks, and three runs (two earned) in 0.2 innings.

Down 5-0, the Captains whittled away at the deficit. Jhonkensy Noel hit a double, Gabriel Rodriguez went 2-4 with a double, Angel Martinez went 2-3 with a walk and Joe Naranjo went 2-4 with a double. Outfielder Connor Kokz had a pair of walks from the leadoff spot.

The bullpen kept Lake County in the game, but they came up one run short. Cleveland 2021 11th round pick Logan Stanley had the best game out of the relief corps, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

Lynchburg 8, Salem Red Sox 11

Cleveland’s 2021 14th round draft pick Trendon Denholm made a stellar pro debut, allowing one run on five hits in 5.0 innings while striking out six and walking none.

The bullpen was betrayed by the Hillcat defense, which allowed four unearned runs to score the rest of the way, but Lynchburg didn’t go down without a fight.

Trailing 6-1 entering the ninth inning, the Hillcats rallied for four runs, but they came up one short of tying the game.

Yordys Valdez went 2-3 with a walk, Jorge Burgos went 2-3 with a double and a walk, Jake Fox went 1-3 with a walk and Isaiah Green went 1-2 with a stolen base.

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RubberDucks Use Early Offense to Back Hunter Gaddis Strong Performance

April 12, 2022

The Akron RubberDucks used a strong start from right-hander Hunter Gaddis and timely hitting to defeat the Reading Fightin Phils 5-4 in their 2022 home opener on Tuesday night at Canal Park.

Turning Point

The RubberDucks got the scoring started early when George Valera tripled off the right field wall to bring home Jose Tena to make it 1-0 Akron in the bottom of the first. Valera scored a batter later when Bo Naylor lined one down the line for an RBI triple.

Mound Presence

In his Double-A debut, Gaddis was overpowering Reading hitters to back the early offense. Gaddis tossed 5.1 innings allowing no runs and just three hits while striking out seven. Nick Gallagher followed with a scoreless inning and two-thirds, striking out two. Manuel Alvarez tossed an inning, allowing three runs (two earned). Kevin Kelly pitched the ninth inning, allowing one unearned run, to pick up the save.

Duck Tales

In the second inning, the RubberDucks stretched the lead when Julian Escobedo and Will Brennan each lifted sacrifice flies to make it 4-0. Brennan came up big again in the fourth by doubling in the left-center field gap to score Jonathan Engelmann to make it 5-0 Akron.

Notebook

Tuesday's home opener marked the start of the 25th Anniversary season and was played 25 years and two days from Canal Park's original opening night...RubberDucks pitchers struck out 10 batters on Tuesday after starting the season with 46 in 25 2/3 innings as a pitching staff in the Erie series...Valera's triple was his first hit of 2022...Game Time: 2:39...Attendance: 4,367.
On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their home schedule at Canal Park Wednesday night, hosting the Reading Fightin Phils at 6:35 p.m. Akron left-hander Joey Cantillo is scheduled to make his 2022 debut against Reading right-hander Noah Skirrow. The game broadcast, powered by FirstEnergy, is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on MiLB.TV. Tickets for the RubberDucks home opener on Tuesday, April 12, and all home games, are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

Rough First Inning Downs Hillcats

April 12, 2022

The Hillcats fall to 0-4 after dropping game one of their series with Delmarva.

The Shorebirds won the game 6-3 after scoring all of their runs in the top of the first.

The Shorebirds struck early and often in the first inning, putting up six runs before the Hillcats even came to the plate. Luis Valdez led off the game with a triple before being brought in to score on the double from Darell Hernaiz. Two batters later, Isaac Bellony hit a three run home run to give the Shorebirds a 4 run lead.

Josúe Cruz followed suit two batters later with a home run of his own off of Hillcats pitcher, Jake Miller. One more runner would score in the first before Miller could get out of the inning.

From there, Miller settled down, not allowing another run in his four innings of work. He finished the afternoon striking out four and walking one.

For the Hillcats, they got the scoring started in the second inning when Carson Tucker was hit by a pitch in the second inning, followed by a home run to right field by Richard Paz. The Hillcats would knock Delmarva starter Ryan Long out of the game after the second inning.

The rest of the game was a pitcher's duel as the Hillcats were only able to score one more run in the sixth. Joe Donovan hit a pop fly that was dropped and went out of play, allowing the base runners to advance, including driving in a run.

That was all the scoring for the rest of the game as Kelvin LaRoche shut the door on the Hillcats, pitching three innings and striking out two.

The Hillcats had dominate performances on the mound from Jack Leftwich, who made his season debut with three strikeouts and no runs allowed in three innings of relief. Yeury Gervacio also put in two innings and recorded four strikeouts to close out the game for Lynchburg.

The Hillcats now drop to 0-4 on the young season and will look to bounce back Wednesday evening in game two of the series with the Shorebirds.

Clippers Pitching Stymies Syracuse in 5-0 Columbus Victory on Tuesday Night

April 12, 2022

COLUMBUS, OH - The Columbus Clippers were rude hosts in the first road game of the season for the Syracuse Mets, riding excellent pitching and timely hitting on their way to a 5-0 win on a sunny Tuesday night at Huntington Park.

Columbus (4-3) jumped out ahead early, plating single runs in the first and second innings. The Clippers struck first when Richie Palacios tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, eventually scoring later in the frame via an RBI groundout by Josh Naylor for a 1-0 lead.

The Clippers scored again in the second by way of the long ball. With nobody on base and one out, Alex Call lined a no-doubt home run over the left-field fence to make it a 2-0 game. It was Call's first hit of the young season.

From there, the Clippers' pitching staff took over. Peyton Battenfield was stellar in his starting role, allowing just two hits in six scoreless innings with five strikeouts. The right-hander allowed exactly two baserunners, as he didn't walk anybody in his outing. Battenfield was also incredibly efficient, tossing just 58 pitches, including 39 for strikes.

The Clippers added insurance in the later innings, tacking on another run in the fifth and two runs in the seventh. A throwing error by the Mets allowed Palacios to score in the fifth after he had walked to reach base earlier in the inning as Columbus took a 3-0 advantage.

The two final tallies of the night came in the seventh. Back-to-back doubles with one out by Gabriel Arias and Naylor brought the first run home, followed by a two-out single later in the inning by Daniel Johnson to drive in Naylor for a 5-0 Clippers edge.

A balanced offensive attack highlighted the night for Columbus. Six of the Clippers' nine starters had at least a hit, four different players scored a run, and three players drove in at least one run. Syracuse's poor defense also helped the Clippers' cause as the Mets committed a season-high four errors in the game.

The bullpen for the home team was rock solid as Ian Gibaut, Alex Young, and Enyel De Los Santos all threw scoreless innings of relief. The trio only allowed a combined two hits in their three innings of relief. De Los Santos was particularly impressive, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to secure the victory.

Syracuse and Columbus continue their six-game series on Wednesday evening. Right-hander Adonis Media is slated to make his first start of the season for the Mets opposite Clippers left-hander Adam Scott. First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m.

Lake County Victorious in Home Opener

April 12, 2022

EASTLAKE, OH - The Lake County Captains (3-1) scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to break a tie and defeat the Dayton Dragons (2-2) 5-1.

Tanner Bibee got the start and struck out eight batters over four innings in his professional baseball debut. Bibee did so on 46 pitches, 36 were strikes.

Lake County batters left five runners on base in the first five innings and struck out eight times. In the sixth, Joe Naranjo led things off and blasted a ball over the right-field wall. It was his seventh career home run as a Captain, and the team's first of the season.

Dayton would knot things up in the seventh, as Elly De La Cruz singled, stole second, advanced to third, and then home after two Captain throwing errors.

Lake County responded in the bottom of the seventh. Johnathan Rodriguez and Aaron Bracho both had base hits, and Mike Amditis walked. Two walks scored Rodriguez and Bracho, and a groundout to third plated Amditis.

Raymond Burgos hurled a scoreless eighth, earning the win, and Cade Smith recorded the final three outs.

The Captains return to action against the Dragons tomorrow Wednesday, April 13th, at 6:35 p.m. For tomorrow's game, 12 oz. White Claws are three dollars.

Coverage of the game can be found on WJCU.org and the MiLB First Pitch app.

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Good starts for Battenfield,who ranks around No. 15 on the prospect lists; and Gaddis who has a power arm but allowed 20 homers in only 97 innings last summer

2 run homer off Sandlin, heading to the bottom of the 9th, up 7-3.
Does Pilkington get to pitch one inning before he is likely returned to Columbus tomorrow to make room for Naylor? That would be nice opportunity to get his debut out of the way.

No Clase gets a chance to pitch an less pressure inning and get his first good outing in. that makes more sense

2 strike outs so far. His fastball is registering only at 99. Maybe he's holding a back a little today