"Espinal is hitting .500/.519/.900, evoking shades of Brian Barton. Yes, there have been Spring Training darlings before, there will be Spring Training darlings after. Espinal, however, has at least a little bit of a reputation. After all, he was an All-Star in 2022 because he hit .298 in the first half and was an injury replacement because four AL All-Stars - Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, George Springer, -missed the game due to injury."
"With Tommy Edman's recovery being what it is and Hyeseong Kim injuring his hand in the World Baseball Classic, Espinal's Opening Day roster spot is all but secured."
"Espinal has a max exit velocity of 105.8 MPH in the Cactus League so far. His career-best in max EV is 107.5. So, he's hitting the ball harder more frequently this spring. In fact, of the 23 balls he has put in play, seven of them have been at 100 MPH or higher, and another five have been better than the MLB average of 89.7 in 2025."
Santiago Espinal was initially overlooked in second base discussions for the Dodgers after signing a minor-league deal shortly before the 2026 season. His spring training performance has been remarkable, batting .500/.519/.900, reminiscent of past spring training standouts. Espinal brings credibility as a former 2022 All-Star who hit .298 in the first half. With Tommy Edman recovering and Hyeseong Kim injured from the World Baseball Classic, Espinal has secured an Opening Day roster spot. Analysis of his Statcast data from spring training shows he's hitting the ball harder than usual, with a max exit velocity of 105.8 MPH and multiple balls in play exceeding 100 MPH, though these numbers come from a limited 27 plate appearance sample.
#spring-training-performance #dodgers-roster #santiago-espinal #second-base-competition #statcast-analysis
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