Paolo Alesandro Espino Alonso (born January 10, 1987), is a

Panamanian Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For mo ...

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

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 ...

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). He has played in MLB for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and Texas Rangers.

Career

Cleveland Indians

Espino attended The Pendleton School in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

. The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

selected him in the 10th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. Espino began his professional career in 2007 with the Single-A

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following t ...

. He split the 2008 season between Lake County and the advanced Single-A

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...

, registering a 5.54 ERA with 68 strikeouts between the two teams. In 2009, Espino appeared with Lake County, Kinston, and the Double-A

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

, notching a 11–8 record and 3.01 ERA in 28 games between the three clubs. In 2010, Espino spent the majority of the season in Akron, but also appeared in 7 games for the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. Espino split the 2011 season between Columbus and Akron, pitching to a cumulative 2.77 ERA and 8–1 record. He spent the 2012 season in Akron, with the exception of 2 games played for Columbus, registering a 3.29 ERA and 7–4 record between the two. In 2013, he spent his fourth straight year split between Columbus and Akron, pitching to a 6–11 record and 4.72 ERA with 141 strikeouts. On November 4, 2013, Espino elected free agency.

Chicago Cubs

On November 18, 2013, Espino signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

organization. Espino was released by the Cubs before the season began on March 27, 2014.

Washington Nationals

On April 10, 2014, Espino signed a minor league contract with the

organization and was assigned to the Double-A

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 ...

to begin the season. He spent the season in Harrisburg, making one start for the Triple-A

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along the way, recording a cumulative 3.84 ERA and 6–5 record. He spent the majority of the 2015 season with Syracuse, also appearing in 8 games for Harrisburg, pitching to a 3.47 ERA with 120 strikeouts. Espino was invited to Spring Training with the Nationals in 2016. However, he did not make the major league club and was assigned to Syracuse, where he pitched to an 8–11 record and 3.30 ERA in 26 games. On November 7, 2016, Espino elected free agency.

Milwaukee Brewers

On November 10, 2016, Espino signed a minor league contract with the

. On May 19, 2017, the Brewers selected Espino's contract to the active roster. Espino made his major league debut for the Brewers that day against the

. Espino was designated for assignment by the Brewers on August 23, 2017, to make room on the 40-man roster for Aaron Brooks, who was claimed off waivers. In 17.2 innings for the Brewers in 2017, Espino allowed 12 earned runs and notched 13 strikeouts.

Texas Rangers

He was traded to the Rangers on August 26, 2017 for cash considerations and was assigned to the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. He pitched 6.1 innings for Texas in 2017, allowing 3 earned runs and notching 7 strikeouts. On October 10, 2017, Espino was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017. On December 22, 2017, Espino re-signed with the Rangers on a minor league contract. He was released on April 19, 2018.

Second stint with Brewers

On May 1, 2018, Espino signed a minor league deal with the

. He spent the remainder of the season with the Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

before electing free agency on November 2, 2018.

Second stint with Nationals

On January 15, 2019, Espino signed a minor league deal with the

. He was assigned to AAA

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in do ...

to start the 2019 season, where he spent the entire year. In 2020 he was invited to Spring Training with the Nationals, and was added to their initial 60-man player pool. On September 21, 2020, Espino was selected to the 40-man and active rosters. In 2020 for the Nationals, Espino appeared in 2 games, allowing 3 earned runs in 6.0 innings with 7 strikeouts. Espino was outrighted to the minor leagues on October 9, 2020, and elected free agency the next day. Espino re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league contract on November 2, 2020. On April 18, 2021, Espino was selected to the active roster after

Stephen Strasburg Stephen James Strasburg (; born July 20, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Strasburg was selected by Washington with the first overall pick in the 2009 Major League ...

was placed on the injured list. On June 16, 2021, Espino won his first major league game, pitching five shutout innings in a 3–1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. On June 23, 2021, he earned his first major league save by pitching a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning in a 13–12 win against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Personal

Espino's cousin Damaso is a former professional baseball player, and is currently an international scout in the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

organization. The two were on Panama's roster for the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference ti ...

References

External links

Paolo Espino
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Espino, Paolo 1987 births Living people Akron Aeros players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Columbus Clippers players Fresno Grizzlies players Harrisburg Senators players Kinston Indians players Lake County Captains players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Panama Milwaukee Brewers players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the United States Round Rock Express players Sportspeople from Panama City Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers players Toros del Este players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Tiburones de La Guaira players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Washington Nationals players 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players Panamanian emigrants to the United States IMG Academy alumni