Indians Just Stole Most Electric Pitcher in the Draft at Pick No. 24
By Sean Facey
The Cleveland Indians may have just grabbed the biggest steal of the draft in the first round.
The Tribe selected Daniel Espino with the 24th overall pick in the MLB draft, and the kid is an absolute flamethrower.
The Cleveland Indians are expected to take Georgia high school right-hander Daniel Espino with the No. 24 pick in the MLB Draft, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 4, 2019
As an 18-year-old from the Georgia Premier Academy, Espino made a name for himself by throwing a ridiculous fastball that touched 100 mph, breaking the record set by former second-overall pick Hunter Greene.
Espino easily has one of the best fastballs in the draft. When he's not touching triple digits, he sits well into the upper-90s.
Quite frankly, it's stunning that teams ahead of the Indians passed on Espino. Obviously there are concerns that come with drafting a hard-throwing high school arm, but a fastball of this quality is simply too good to pass up.
"No pitcher—high school or college—has as much upside as Georgia righthander Daniel Espino in the 2019 draft."
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 26, 2019
He's No. 26 in our rankings, and you can find his full scouting report here: https://t.co/97nKuNSso3 pic.twitter.com/7OrufKlD97
In an era of baseball that emphasizes high velocity on the fastball above all things, Espino has the tools to become a quality pitcher.
It's quite possible that well down the road, teams will look back with regret for passing over the flame-throwing Espino.