Daniel Richard Espinosa (born April 25, 1987) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

infielder. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

Amateur career

Espinosa attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. He then enrolled at California State University, Long Beach, to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the Long Beach State Dirtbags. He played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

and batted .303 with 11

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 98

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

in his three-year career. As a freshman, he was the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

Freshman of the Year. After the 2006 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Danny Espinosa (511877839)

Professional career

Minor leagues

The

selected Espinosa in the third round of the

2008 MLB draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

. Espinosa spent the rest of the 2008 summer with the

Vermont Lake Monsters The Vermont Lake Monsters are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Burlington, Vermont. From 1994 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL). They play their home games at Centennial Field, on ...

of the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

New York-Penn League, where he batted .328. The following year he was promoted to the

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to F ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, and hit .264 with a .375 on-base percentage while hitting 18 home runs with 72 runs batted in and 29 steals, and was a High-A and Carolina League All Star. He began 2010 with the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Eastern League, hitting .262 with 18 home runs, before being promoted to the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League. With Syracuse, he hit .295 with four home runs and was just the second player in all of organized baseball to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 2010. At Syracuse, Espinosa, who had played shortstop for his college and minor league career, was shifted to second base, since

Ian Desmond Ian Morgan Desmond (born September 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Desmond is a ...

was already playing shortstop for the Nationals.

Washington Nationals

When the MLB rosters expanded on September 1, 2010, Espinosa was called up to the MLB for the first time. He appeared in his first MLB game that night. In his first MLB at bat, he hit a ground ball to second base that took an odd hop and went into right field, allowing Espinosa to turn it into a double when he saw that the right fielder had not charged the ball. On September 6, 2010 against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, in his first MLB game at

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Home to Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals since its completion in 2008, it was the first LEED-certified green major profe ...

, Espinosa went 4 for 5, with two home runs (the second and third of his career) including a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

and six runs batted in. Espinosa played in the Puerto Rican winter league after the 2010 season. Danny Espinosa 2011

Espinosa had a productive 2011 season, hitting 21 home runs and stealing 17 bases. He finished 6th in the

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

balloting. He was also

hit by a pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

19 times, tied for first with

Justin Upton Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "J-Up", he has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tig ...

. Espinosa began the 2012 season in an extended slump, hitting .205 in April with 2 runs batted in. He rebounded after the All-Star break, hitting .300 in July. Espinosa finished the 2012 season leading the National league in strikeouts with 189. He hit 17 home runs while also stealing 20 bases. Espinosa began the 2013 season with another slump, hitting .171 through mid-May. He was consequently sent down to the AAA club at Syracuse and batted .216 with 2 home runs, 22 runs batted in, and 6 stolen bases over 75 games for the rest of his season in the minors. In April 2014 he added another 3 home-run to his baseball career along with .291 in batting and .831

on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...

. He batted .158/.193/.272 in 158 at bats.Danny Espinosa Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> The following two seasons, Espinosa was a utility player for the Nationals, playing all the infield positions and left field. In 2016, he was named the starting shortstop for the Nationals and played the whole season only at shortstop. He set career highs in home runs with 24 and runs batted in with 72, and was third in the majors in hit by pitches with 20. He was named National League Player of the Week in early July for a five-homer, 17-RBI performance. He finished the season with a career-high 24 home runs and 72 RBI, but his .209 batting average was the lowest of all qualified major league batters.

Los Angeles Angels

After the 2016 season, the Nationals acquired outfielder Adam Eaton, with the intent of moving

Trea Turner Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. Turner pl ...

to shortstop. The Nationals then traded Espinosa to the

for pitchers Austin Adams and

Kyle McGowin Kyle Keston McGowin (born November 27, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals. Amateur career McGowin is from Sag Harbor, New York. He att ...

on December 10, 2016. Espinosa's first hit as an Angel was a big three-run home run in the ninth inning that put Los Angeles ahead, 7–6, in his second game with the team. The Angels closed out the win in the bottom of the ninth, making Espinosa's home run the game-winning hit. In his lone season with the team, Espinosa struggled offensively through the first half of the season, hitting under .170 in 75 games. On July 16, Espinosa was designated for assignment. He was released on July 22. He batted .162/.237/.276 in 228 at bats.

Seattle Mariners

He signed a major league contract with the

on July 23, 2017. He batted .188/.235/.313 in 16 at bats. He was released on August 20.

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 25, 2017, Espinosa signed a major league contract with the

. He batted .273/.333/.273 in 22 at bats. He was outrighted by the Rays on September 25 to make room on the 40-man roster.

New York Yankees

Espinosa signed a minor league contract with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

on January 29, 2018. He was released on March 12, 2018.

Toronto Blue Jays

On March 17, 2018, Espinosa signed a minor league contract with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and was invited to spring training. He was released on April 29, 2018.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Espinosa signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

on May 6, 2018. He was assigned to the AAA

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

, where he had nine hits in 60 at-bats before he was released on May 30, 2018.

Philadelphia Phillies

On June 22, 2018, Espinosa signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was released on August 8, 2018.

Acereros de Monclova

On August 14, 2018, Espinosa signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Ace ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

New York Mets

On February 8, 2019, Espinosa signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He returned to Syracuse and appeared on their Opening Day roster, alongside a number of other veteran players. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Acereros de Monclova (second stint)

On February 29, 2020, Espinosa signed with the

of the

. Espinosa did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. He retired following the 2021 season.

Personal life

Espinosa is of Mexican-American descent. He and his wife, Sara, had their first child, a son, in 2016. The family resides in Santa Ana, California.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinosa, Danny 1987 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Baseball players from California Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chatham Anglers players Harrisburg Senators players Leones de Ponce players Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball second basemen Mexican League baseball shortstops Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Phoenix Desert Dogs players Potomac Nationals players Seattle Mariners players Sportspeople from Santa Ana, California Syracuse Chiefs players Syracuse Mets players Tampa Bay Rays players United States national baseball team players Vermont Lake Monsters players Washington Nationals players Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic baseball players of Mexico