Driven to Succeed: Houston Astros Prospect Espinosa Has Become a Quick Riser

In the face of back-to-back lost seasons, Rolando Espinosa ended 2022 in Triple-A Sugar Land after starting the year in the Complex League.

Rolando Espinosa doesn't grace a top-30 prospect list. He doesn't find his name among the likes of Hunter Brown, Yainer Díaz, and Korey Lee, but that hasn't stopped him from climbing the ranks of the Houston Astros system.

Signed out of Cuba in 2017, Espinosa took a chance on himself and left his family in pursuit of being a Major League Baseball player. His manager from the Florida Complex League, Ricky Rivera, acknowledges those sacrifices Latin players like Espinosa had to make.

"We have a good Cuban culture in our minor league level," Rivera said. "I think those guys all become family at the affiliate levels, and obviously for every level, we try to keep it as a family atmosphere as possible."

Espinosa holds the Cuban culture to heart. He's looked up to the likes of Yordan Álvarez, Yuli Gurriel and Aledmys Díaz and hopes to be just like them someday. Coming from the same island, they've been through similar sacrifices, and their success brings hope for Espinosa's own future.

But his future will be rooted in his main supporters: his mother and his sisters. Without them, Espinosa may not be in the same position he is today. And Espinosa's trainer in Cuba, who he chose to leave unnamed, was the first person to get him involved in the sport he gives his life to today. 

Espinosa's family and support system in training from Sario is what kept him going. They were there for him, and through baseball, he wants to provide for his family.

"I need to keep going on," Espinosa said. "That's my strength to think about what the future holds for me when I am in the Big Leagues. That way they can be good and next to me."

Espinosa hasn't seen his family in awhile. And in order to provide for them, he must prove to the Astros he can take the step to the Major Leagues in the next couple seasons, and to Rivera, most of the players see it as their only option.

"Just going all in on this dream," Rivera said. "Hopefully, you make it, and you give yourself an opportunity to provide for your family and put food on the table through the game that you love through the game that gave you the opportunity to come to the States."

Rivera has been one of Espinosa's prime mentors in Houston's system. From helping him on the physical and the mental side, Espinosa noted Rivera prepared him for success through this past season.

Houston Astros Prospect Rolando Espinosa / Courtesy of Heyday PR

Following extended spring training, Rivera and Espinosa had a conversation on worrying about what the 21-year-old could control. Overcoming lost seasons in 2020 due to COVID-19 and in 2021 due to "health reasons," Espinosa responded the best way he could.

"I think that's extremely tough and like it takes a mental toll on anybody," Rivera said. "I mean, it would take it on me honestly, just two years of not playing and obviously a guy that hadn't left the rookie ball level yet.

"Obviously, he's starting to get a little anxious, the clock's ticking and all that good stuff. But he just stuck to it."

The farmhand trains six days a week, not on Sundays, for two or three hours. He slipped in time to talk about his best season yet, and in the process of preparing for next year, Espinosa has learned more on how to prepare his body for success.

"I am glad that everything I was doing during the offseason came forward when I was playing, and that my results were showing off," Espinosa said. "I am really proud to be here and am especially looking forward to shot in the Big Leagues."

Early mornings with the sun beating down, Espinosa grinded through the Complex League. And after missing play last year, he learned how valuable putting effort into his body is and that how his habits will make or break him.

Houston Astros Prospects Korey Lee and Rolando Espinosa / Courtesy of Heyday PR

Espinosa is a superb defender. His glove carried him through Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A once the Complex League season came to an end, allowing the Astros to plug him in where needed.

Base running is also a tapped tool that Espinosa has excelled with. Rivera gave him freedom on the base paths, telling him, "if you see something, then go."

"He caused havoc on the base pass," Rivera said. "And that's something that I think is part of his M.O. as a player, because he can play really, really good defense at say six or seven positions, and he can also run the bases at a pretty high level."

Houston's player development takes pride in the versatility it instills in its players with position addition. Espinosa can play outfield and across the diamond, adding first base to his bag of gloves this summer. But coming into this past season, Espinosa didn't need to worry on how well his glove would look. He needed to hit the ball harder.

Rivera spoke with Espinosa prior to the season and laid down the keys to success at the plate for the season: hitting the ball harder and in the air. And the results paid off. Espinosa posted an 1.138 OPS in August in his final Florida Complex season, being a named a Player of the Week and the Player of the Month.

Playing multiple positions, the middle infield is where Espinosa thrives. He's a shortstop at heart, but his versatility will improve his chances of a Major League opportunity one day.

"A year from now, hopefully I will still be playing professionally," Espinosa said. "I hope everything's going well with the team, and I also just looking towards being in the Big Leagues."

Espinosa credits his family, his teammates and his coaches for a resurgent season. And looking for his next break, the utilityman feels ready, continuing to improve on his own during the winter.

Espinosa is continuing to progress through the offseason in Florida. Heading into the offseason, Astros coaches provided a list of things each player could work on on their own.

"This is a very crucial time," Rivera said. "It's the time that you can invest in your body the most, after a season of wear and tear. He understands that he has to put the work in this offseason. And I think he will ... He knows not to take this for granted."

Rivera doesn't know where Espinosa will start or end next season. But no matter where the organization assigns him, the manager penciling his name in will have someone who plays hard, someone who can play multiple positions on the field, in the eyes of Rivera.

"The sky's the limit," Rivera said. "Whether you're in rookie ball or in Triple-A, you're playing for you, you're playing for your family, and this is your job. Understanding that is something that helped him a lot. I think it's something that'll help him regardless of where he's at next year."

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