Anderson Espinoza
Anderson José Espinoza (born March 9, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Espinoza pitched in the farm system of the Boston Red Sox before being acquired by the San Diego Padres in July 2016. He underwent Tommy John surgery in both 2017 and 2019, and did not return to game action until May 2021. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs that July. Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed. Scouting report. According to baseball scouts, at age 17 Espinoza featured a solid three-pitch mix  and had advanced pitchability, repeating his delivery and throwing strikes much more easily than a typical pitcher of that age. He had been throwing his fastball in the low 90s and topping out at , with potential to throw even harder as he grows. His secondary pitches included a sharp curveball in the range and a sinking changeup as his third option. His arm was quick, and he delivered his pitches with clean mechanics and a minimum of effort. Professional career. Espinoza was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in October 2014, receiving a reported bonus  of $1.8 million plus $200,000 in scholarship money. Additionally, Espinoza was "Baseball America"’s fourth-ranked international amateur prospect and top-ranked pitcher, while grabbing the number 10 spot on MLB.com’s list. Boston Red Sox. Espinoza joined the Dominican Summer League Red Sox 2 on June 1, 2015. He made quick work of that circuit, allowing only two earned runs on 13 hits and two walks for a 1.20 ERA, while striking out 21 batters in 15 innings. In addition to a strong statistical performance, his fastball was reported to touch sometimes. He then earned a promotion  to the rookie level Gulf Coast League Red Sox late in the month. Instead of finding himself challenged, Espinoza was even more dominant there, giving up just three earned runs in 40 innings, good for a 0.68 ERA to go with a .170 opponents batting average and 40 strikeouts against nine walks, helping the GCL Red Sox clinch their second title in a row. The precocious right-hander completed his third level of the season with his promotion to the Low-A Greenville Drive, and made his first pitching appearance on September 5. With his debut, Espinoza became the first  pitcher in his age 17 season to make a start in the full-season Class A South Atlantic League since 2006, when Deolis Guerra did it for the New York Mets affiliate Hagerstown Suns. In 15 starts between three levels, Espinoza posted a 1.23 ERA with 0.99 WHIP while striking out 65 in innings. He was kept on a strict four-inning limit per game. Espinoza opened the 2016 season with Greenville. San Diego Padres. On July 14, 2016, the Red Sox traded Espinoza to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Drew Pomeranz. The Padres assigned Espinoza to  the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps. He finished 2016 with a 6–11 record with a 4.49 ERA. Espinoza started the 2017 season on the disabled list with an elbow injury. On July 28, 2017, he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery which sidelined him for the remainder of the 2017 season and the entire 2018 season. The Padres added Espinoza to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. Espinoza underwent a second Tommy John surgery on April 22, 2019, and missed the entire 2019 season. He also did  not play in 2020, as the minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In early May 2021, Espinoza appeared in a regular-season game for the first time since 2016, pitching two scoreless innings for Fort Wayne. Chicago Cubs. On July 30, 2021, Espinoza was traded to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Jake Marisnick. He was assigned to the South Bend Cubs. External links. , or MiLB.com, or SoxProspects.com