His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Espino's 4-seam fastball averages 88.2 mph, and has touched 90.0.
52 thrown, 32.9% of his pitches.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Espino's curveball moves 101.5 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
50 thrown, averaging 70.6 mph.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Espino averages 80.0 mph across his arsenal, 1st percentile in the league.
158 pitches in 2024. 1st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 760th in MLB.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Espino's 4-seam fastball carries 18.3 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
52 thrown, averaging 88.2 mph.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Espino's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 96.1 mph, against 84.4 off his curveball.
52 and 50 of them thrown.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .433 expected average against them, against .352 on his breaking balls.
52 of his fastballs thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
17.6 mph separates Espino's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 88.2 against 70.6.
52 and 50 of them respectively.
He cannot find the zone often enough
Espino works off the plate, with only 42.4% of his pitches in the zone, 18th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 18th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 629th in MLB.
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.5 mph off the bat against Espino, 14th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 658th in MLB.
He lives on one side of the plate
Espino works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 3.2 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
158 located pitches in 2024.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Espino's curveball spins at 2,978 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
50 thrown in 2024.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Espino projects a .363 average, 14th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 662nd in MLB.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Espino throws the sweeper 25.3% of the time against right-handers and 0% against left-handers.
75 pitches to right-handers, 83 to left-handers.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Espino lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.28 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
158 located pitches in 2024.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.7% of the contact Espino gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 645th in MLB.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Espino puts 53.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 45.9% when he is ahead.
52 located pitches behind, 37 ahead.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Espino works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Curveball, Changeup and Sweeper. The 4-seam fastball is 32.9% of everything he throws.
158 classified pitches in 2024.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Espino releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 53 degrees above horizontal and 1.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
158 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Espino's stuff spins at 2,323 rpm, 63rd percentile in the league.
158 pitches in 2024. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 283rd in MLB.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Espino releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
158 tracked pitches in 2024.
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The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Espino's 4-seam fastball averages 88.2 mph, and has touched 90.0.
52 thrown, 32.9% of his pitches.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Espino's 4-seam fastball leaves the bat at 96.1 mph, against 84.4 off his curveball.
52 and 50 of them thrown.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
17.6 mph separates Espino's 4-seam fastball from his curveball, 88.2 against 70.6.
52 and 50 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Espino's curveball spins at 2,978 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
50 thrown in 2024.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Espino throws the sweeper 25.3% of the time against right-handers and 0% against left-handers.
75 pitches to right-handers, 83 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Espino works with 4 pitches: 4-Seam Fastball, Curveball, Changeup and Sweeper. The 4-seam fastball is 32.9% of everything he throws.
158 classified pitches in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Espino's curveball moves 101.5 inches toward the third-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
50 thrown, averaging 70.6 mph.
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Espino's 4-seam fastball carries 18.3 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
52 thrown, averaging 88.2 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Espino averages 80.0 mph across his arsenal, 1st percentile in the league.
158 pitches in 2024. 1st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 760th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his fastballs: a .433 expected average against them, against .352 on his breaking balls.
52 of his fastballs thrown.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He cannot find the zone often enough
Espino works off the plate, with only 42.4% of his pitches in the zone, 18th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 18th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 629th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
When hitters connect off him, they hit it hard
Hitters average 90.5 mph off the bat against Espino, 14th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 658th in MLB.
The contact he allows is the kind that finds grass
The quality of contact against Espino projects a .363 average, 14th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 14th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 662nd in MLB.
Too much of the contact against him is loud
45.7% of the contact Espino gives up is hit hard, 16th percentile.
158 pitches in 2024. 16th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 645th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He lives on one side of the plate
Espino works away from right-handers: his average pitch lands 3.2 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
158 located pitches in 2024.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Espino lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.28 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
158 located pitches in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Espino puts 53.8% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 45.9% when he is ahead.
52 located pitches behind, 37 ahead.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Espino releases the ball from a three-quarters slot, about 53 degrees above horizontal and 1.1 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
158 tracked release points, averaging 5.5 feet off the ground.
He gets so far down the mound the ball arrives early
Espino releases the ball 6.5 feet down the mound, so the ball arrives sooner than the radar gun suggests.
158 tracked pitches in 2024.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
His ball moves more than the hitter expects it to
Espino's stuff spins at 2,323 rpm, 63rd percentile in the league.
158 pitches in 2024. 63rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2024, 283rd in MLB.
Nationals
Career team 2020–2023