.: Danny Espinosa

Danny Espinosa

Posted by FullertonBaseballFan on 11/5/2009, 7:34 pm
98.173.13.190

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4625423&name=grey_jason

Espinosa hopes to follow Tulowitzki's path
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Posted by Jason Grey

Long Beach State has produced a decent run of shortstops in recent years. Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria (who played short in college) and Bobby Crosby were all eventually first-round picks.

One of the latest in that line, Danny Espinosa, lasted until the third round in 2008 before he was selected by the Washington Nationals, but has already been impressive in his pro career.

After getting just 64 at-bats in 2008 (but hitting .329), Espinosa played this year at high Class A and put up some decent stats. The 22-year-old hit .264 with 31 doubles and 18 homers, getting on base at a .375 clip and slugging .460. He also went 29-for-40 on the base paths, and wound up being a bit more than the slap hitter some expected him to be.

The 6-foot switch-hitter has a lean, athletic build with strength, enough that he should have average power has he matures. He's been working on developing more patience at the plate, as both his 79 walks and 129 strikeouts this year were more than expected. He doesn't get cheated when he swings and can square balls up fairly well. He can also stroke hard line drives to all fields when he's not lunging and getting out front, as he tends to do, which leaves him vulnerable to off-speed stuff. However, his bat speed and good hand-eye coordination make the total package work, and he projects to be able to hit for average eventually at the big league level.

Espinosa's swing can get a bit long, especially from the right side, where he gets big and tries to pull the ball, but he's shown he can shorten up when he needs to and he seems to have the capability to make adjustments. Despite being a natural right-handed hitter, he was far better as a lefty this year, where his setup is better and his swing has turned out to be smoother and more of a line-drive stroke. He was still learning to hit left-handed when he was drafted, but has clearly taken to it. Perhaps because he's relatively new to that side, he's wound up with a more controlled stroke that works well for him, instead of taking a big cut like he does from the other side.

Espinosa drew more raves for his defense coming out of college, as he has a rocket arm and loves to show it off. He's able to make plays on the run and has good shortstop actions. He projects to be an above-average defender at short, despite not having the greatest range.

Those 29 stolen bases Espinosa had last year may not translate well as he moves up the ladder. He's a smart, aggressive runner with good instincts, but his raw speed is fringe average, and speed may not be a big part of his game over the long haul.

Combine the potential to put up a good batting average, a little pop and the skills to stay at short, and you have a player who needs to get a little bit more attention. No, he's not going to be Tulowitzki or Longoria, but he's not going to be Crosby, either, likely finding that middle ground of being a solid regular in the big leagues. Long term, I like him better than Ian Desmond.