His wicked arsenal has faced down some of the best prep talent in the country"

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HomeDepth ChartTransactionsMasthead MastheadMeet the Players!Links White Sox Web LinksSouth Side Sox standardsCommunity GuidelinesOdds Shop StubHub 鉁旸raft Prospects You Should KnowDraft prospects you should know: Daniel Espino http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , Georgia Premier Academy RHSPNew,8commentsHis wicked arsenal has faced down some of the best prep talent in the countryCSTShareTweetShareShareDraft prospects you should know: Daniel Espino, Georgia Premier Academy RHSPRising star: Espino has had almost-unbelievable success against the best preps in the country. @Premier_Sox/TwitterWhen you have the No. 3 overall pick, it’s never too soon to take a quick peek into this year’s MLB draft. This year’s draft class is loaded with excellent hitting prospects, but is relatively weak on the pitching side. Draft Prospects You Should Know is a new series that features prospects who the White Sox could pursue in this year’s draft. As the June draft nears, we’ll return to many of these athletes and provide updates on whether their stocks are rising (or falling). Age listed as of Day One of the Draft (June 3).Daniel EspinoGeorgia Premier Academy (Statesboro, Ga.)Right-Handed Starting PitcherAge 18Bats RightThrows RightRankingsBaseball America 6 (among only preps)MLB 13 (entire draft class)FanGraphs 15 (entire draft class)Throughout recent MLB draft history, right-handed prep pitchers taken with high draft picks haven’t been overly successful. But one player with the talent, stuff and makeup to buck that trend is Georgia Premier Academy starting pitcher Daniel Espino.Rather than attempt to enter the MLB as an international free agent, Daniel chose to nurture his pitching talent while also cracking the books and focusing on academics and a path to college. When he came to the Academy as a 15-year-old, Espino was throwing 82-84 mph; after three years in the program — which emphasizes “religious” long-toss, stretching and core strength — he’s gained 50 pounds of muscle and is throwing a lot harder.Espino’s coach, Gene Reynolds, described his prodigy’s four pitch arsenal to South Side Sox: “His four seamer sits 96-98 when he’s in mid-season form, and has touched 100. His slider is devastating and pretty much unhittable for this level, and his curveball is right there as well. Both pitches are plus. His changeup is something we are working on, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to throw in high school, since it’s the only thing he throws that gives hitters a chance to catch up.” Reynolds also pointed out that Espino has great faith in his secondaries Phil Niekro Jersey , and is absolutely fearless about throwing his slider in any count.Reynolds offers that the precocious young right-hander has “insane flexibility,” which gives him a naturally high knee lift, helping him get into his back leg and engage his lower half during the pitching motion, while also creating separation and a long arm stroke. The coach said he doesn’t have any concerns about Espino’s ability to maintain his velocity or remain a starting pitcher in the professional ranks. “He doesn’t grunt or show stress in his delivery,” Reynolds says. “He takes great care of his body, he repeats well, and pounds the strike zone.”When asked about Espino’s character and mental makeup, Reynolds continued the superlatives, saying, “He’s a better young man than a pitcher, and I say that with all sincerity. You won’t find one person who knows him that would have a negative thing to say.”Well, a few opposing hitters might disagree, Coach Reynolds.To be sure, opponents shouldn’t expect Espino to be “Mr. Nice Guy” on the mound. “He has an uncanny ability to be humble and extremely competitive at the same time,” Reynolds says. “On the mound, he’s an assassin.”At the Academy, Espino has faced some of the best high school talent in the nation and has thrived. Reynolds says that Espino has faced Top 300 high school draft prospects 27 times, and they have gone 1-for-25 http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , with 17 strikeouts and two walks against him. He seems to rise to the occasion as well, as Espino threw a 99 mph fastball to Bobby Witt Jr. — but ended up walking him on a 3-2 count. When Espino posted his 100 mph radar gun reading it was also against a premier draft prospect, Riley Greene, who struck out.GBSA Rays Baseball recently tweeted, “Daniel Espino is the Zion Williamson of HS baseball. Best way to describe his summer performance vs. the best talent in the country. Throws 100mph w/2 plus breaking balls. What will he throw at 21 yrs old?” Espino is committed to the LSU baseball program, but it is possible that a high draft pick will be enough to lure him away from that commitment and allow him to begin chasing his major league dreams. His name is getting a lot of pre-draft helium, and is likely to be called in the top half of the first round.Previously, on Draft Prospects You Should KnowMatt Wallner, Southern Miss OFTyler Dyson, Florida RHSPRece Hinds, IMG Baseball Academy 3B Texas recalled prize outfield prospect Willie Calhoun from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday at the end of the minor league season, but Calhoun’s at-bats will be limited by his limitations defensively to left field and the Rangers‘ glut of young corner outfielders and veteran designated hitters.Calhoun will be in Arlington on Tuesday when the Rangers continue a three-game series versus the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park. The Angels took the first game 3-1 on Monday as Texas was held to six hits a day after scoring 18 runs in a win over Minnesota.The Angels will send left-hander Andrew Heaney (8-8, 4.09 ERA) to the mound for the middle game of the series and Texas will counter with left-hander Mike Minor (10-7, 4.33).Article continues below ...Calhoun, 23, has hit .275 with a .716 OPS for 69 major league at-bats this year. After a slow start at Round Rock, he finished the season hitting .294 with a .782 OPS. Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo will receive the lion’s share work in the corner outfield spots. The Rangers have too many bats for the DH spot between Adrian Beltre and Shin-Soo Choo for Calhoun to fill that spot with any regularity.“There won’t be regular at-bats for Willie as we’re constructed right now,” Texas general manager Jon Daniels told the Dallas Morning News on Monday. “We want him to come up here and continue to do the work he’s been doing. He really got after it last time.”Meanwhile Chipper Jones Jersey , the Angels are confident that prized two-way player Shohei Ohtani came out of his first pitching performance in nearly three months in good stead despite a dip in fastball velocity from 96-97 mph in the first inning to 91-92 mph in the third. A Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament kept the Japanese phenom off the mound since June 6.The Angels said after Sunday’s game that Ohtani was dealing with some back stiffness and a sore finger after attempting to barehand a comebacker, leading to the dip in velocity.“Naturally, a red flag goes up, especially with what happened last time,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com. “But Shohei said he felt great. He had no apprehension about what was happening in his elbow. His delivery was a little out of whack. He wanted to make sure he could get the ball into decent zones, so he wasn’t really jumping on it.”Ohtani said his back and finger both feel fine and that he’ll “hopefully” be able to make his next scheduled start on the mound on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.Heaney will head to hill for the 26th time this year and for his 14th start on the road. Tuesday’s game will be his second start of the year versus Texas (in which he did not get a decision). In five career starts against the Rangers, Heaney is 1-2 with a 7.88 ERA.Heaney won his most recent start on Thursday at Houston after tossing six scoreless innings and allowing five hits and one walk with six strikeouts. He is seeking first his winning decision against Texas since July 26, 2015. In three starts at Globe Life Park, Heaney is 0-3 with a 10.38 ERA, his highest ERA of any ballpark.Minor will make his 25th start of the season, and will be working on five days’ rest after suffering the loss Wednesday in the Rangers’ 3-1 defeat at home against the Dodgers. He has gone 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in his past five outings.Minor is without a decision with a 5.68 ERA in three career games, one of them starts, against the Angels. He will make his first start against the Angels this season and has not started against the Los Angeles since June 15, 2014, when he played for Atlanta. Minor made two relief appearances versus the Angels last season with he was with Kansas City, going 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA.