It was a two-man race, but Daniel Espino captured 48% of the vote, outpacing Gabriel Arias (39%) for the No. 4 spot on our list.
Espino is the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Cleveland system, and deservedly so. His 2021 season provided many sleepless nights for opposing hitters.
Espino’s 152 strikeouts ranked 13th overall in the minors, which was made even more impressive because only one of the players who struck out more batters than him was age 20 or younger.
A first-round pick by Cleveland in 2019, the talented right-handed flamethrower made his full-season debut last season at Single-A Lynchburg, eventually earning a promotion to High-A Lake County.