Espinosa at Home in a Hurry
by Bob Keisser, Long Beach Press-Telegram
March 3, 2006 Comparisons are unfair, odious, subjective, often dead wrong, and virtually unavoidable. It doesn't matter whether the subject is an actor, musician or athlete, the fan on the street can't help but project a good young athlete into the cleats of a well-known athlete when there's so much common ground.
Which is where Danny Espinosa stands today. A mere 14 games into his Long Beach State baseball career, the freshman shortstop with gifted defense and a developing bat is already being fitted for a robe as an heir to the Dirtbags' run of great shortstops.
The last two Dirtbag shortstops were first-round picks, Troy Tulowitzki in 2005 (seventh pick by Colorado) and Bobby Crosby (25th pick, Oakland) in 2001, with the latter winning the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year award. If Tulo gets to the major leagues soon, the Dirtbags could have three former shortstops in The Show at the same time, joining Crosby and Chris Gomez, a third-round pick in 1992 who is about to begin his 14th season in the majors.
Is this too much too soon for Espinosa? Based on his background, not in the slightest.
The Mater Dei recruit, who will join his teammates against Baylor tonight at Blair Field (6:30 p.m.), was the starting shortstop on an all-star travel team of 12-year-olds even though he was just 10. Two years later, he was a 12-year-old sharing a spot in the lineup with a travel team of 15-year-olds.
His coach at the time, John Elliott, was so enamored with Espinosa's defense and poise that he didn't think twice of playing the young man "up" against older kids. Espinosa's father, Dan, who played college baseball at Arizona, encouraged his son to accept these challenges as part of the process of becoming a better player.
So no, becoming the starting shortstop for Long Beach State at the age of 18 doesn't seem daunting, not even when he's playing alongside the memories of Tulowitzki and Crosby.
"The coaches who asked me to play up liked my defense," said Espinosa, who helped Mater Dei to the CIF title last season. "I didn't think much about it once I got used to it. My dad and Coach Elliott did a good job teaching me the game, so when that time came, I never felt nervous.
"I've always loved defense. There's so much involved in it. I've worked equally as hard on my hitting and fielding, but my defense is what got me moving ahead in baseball.
"I read everything, what pitch is being thrown, its location, what the batter has done in the past, whether he's a pull hitter or likes to hit to the opposite field, how the rest of the defense is set anything that can be an advantage."
These are advanced skills that many players do not develop until they reach their late teens, so Espinosa, who was the starting shortstop on the 2003 U.S. National youth team that won a gold medal in Taiwan, arrived ready-made for a program that has always stressed defense.
"It's a tremendous advantage for the staff," pitching coach Troy Buckley said of having a high-functioning shortstop. "We're not the type of staff this year that is going to strike a lot of people out. We'll force more contact than we have in the past.
"The more games Danny plays, the better he'll get, because he'll grow to understand swing identity, knowing where the batter is likely to hit the ball before he swings. He's already getting a feel for our pitchers and knowing how they'll work a batter.
"It's not the easiest thing to teach. A lot of infielders who have a good glove struggle picking up all of these little things."
Last week's series with Illinois-Chicago provided an example of Espinosa's maturity. In Andrew Carpenter's one-hitter Saturday, the opponent took a lot of pitches early in the game and as a result Carpenter recorded six strikeouts. But in the latter innings, they became more aggressive and went after the first fastball they saw.
That resulted in eight chances for Espinosa on the final 13 outs. He handled each flawlessly, including several chances where he was perfectly positioned to handle a grounder deep in the hole.
There's an extra layer of difficulty for Espinosa, too, since head coach Mike Weathers, an infielder in his playing days, demands a lot of his fielders. He has great disdain for the backhand play, and every shortstop that has come through his program is taught to square up on every grounder. A backhand grab is a last resort.
"He's had to change, and he's been very receptive and open because of the success of the other guys (Crosby and Tulowitzki)," Weathers said. "He's seen things work out well for both of them, and heard them talk about the things they learned."
That's part of why he's at Long Beach State.
"It was a huge part of my decision," Espinosa said. "They were great college shortstops, and I wanted to come to a school where they would help me grow and where people expected to see good shortstops. Coach Weathers is very well known for his work with infielders."
The bonus thus far has been Espinosa's hitting. He comes into the Baylor series hitting .321, leads the team in runs scored (10) and is second in RBI (nine) behind third baseman Evan Longoria.
He's hitting second in the lineup, and he conceivably could wind up hitting leadoff or dropping somewhere to the meat of the lineup, depending on the team's needs. |
