According to his MLB.com profile page, right-hander Jose Espada signed a minor league contract with the Padres earlier this month. The two teams are getting back together because Espada, 27, played for San Diego in 2022–2023 before joining the Yakult Swallows in the winter.
Espada pitched 27 bullpen innings with the Swallows with a 5.00 ERA, so the transfer to Japan wasn’t as big of a showcase as he had wanted.
In a sharp decline from the 26.59K% he recorded across 374 minor league innings, his strikeout rate fell to only 13.56%. Espada had already shown a great deal of quality in the affiliated minors, including a 2.79, even though his records with the Swallows’ minor league team were significantly superior.
With the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023, he pitched 19 1/3 innings with an ERA.Espada’s 2023 MLB debut, which consisted of a single cup of coffee outing, was made possible by impressive Double-A and Triple-A performances. In a scoreless mop-up inning, Espada recorded two strikeouts and two walks during the Padres’ 12-2 thumping of the Cardinals on September 24, 2023. The highlight of Espada’s professional career, which started as a fifth-round selection by the Blue Jays in the 2015 draft, was that brief appearance. In addition to his time with the Padres and Swallows, Espada also spent time in the Red Sox development system and in independent ball.
Although Espada has struggled with self-control, he has long been With the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023, he pitched 19 1/3 innings with an ERA.
His outstanding bat-missing ability makes his lower strikeout rates in the NPB all the more perplexing. He could be able to get back on track by returning to Triple-A El Paso, and the Padres will be able to add a reliable player to their list of bullpen depth arms.
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