Dámaso Matias Espino (born May 8, 1983 in Los Santos,

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

), is a Panamanian former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. He was selected for the

Panama national baseball team The Panama national baseball team (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Panamá'') is the baseball team that represents Panama at an international level. Along with Nicaragua national baseball team, Nicaragua, they are considere ...

for the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

in 2006, 2009, and 2013.

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

Espino was originally signed by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

as an undrafted free agent

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

in 1999. He played for the Gulf Coast Reds from 2000 to 2002, earning

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

All-Star honors in 2002 as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

when he hit .332 in 58 games.

Kansas City Royals

He was traded by the Reds on March 6, 2003 to the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. The Royals assigned hin to the Class-A

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...

for 2003 and promoted him to the

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. Fra ...

in 2004. In 2005, he returned to Burlington and made the transition to playing

. He spent 2006–2007 in AA with the

Wichita Wranglers The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994 and the Kansas City Royals fro ...

and made it to AAA in 2008 with the

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...

Cleveland Indians

Espino was traded by the Royals to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

on June 12, 2008 for cash. Espino was invited to Spring Training for the 2010 season but did not make the club and was assigned to the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

. He remained with the Indians through 2010, playing for the AA

Akron Aeros The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,63 ...

and Columbus.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Espino signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

on January 26, 2011 and received an invitation to major league camp. He was assigned to the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

, where he appeared in 65 games and hit .292. On November 2, 2011, he elected free agency.

Chicago White Sox

On January 17, 2012, Espino signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. In 66 games with the AA

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

, he hit .284. He also played in 3 games with AAA Charlotte in 2012. On November 2, 2012, he elected free agency. On December 18, 2012, Espino re-signed with the White Sox on a minor league contract and appeared in 1 game at Charlotte in 2013 before he was released.

Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)

Espino signed a minor league contract with the

on June 23, 2013 and reported to AAA Albuquerque, where he appeared in 19 games and batted .333. On November 4, 2013, he elected free agency.

Somerset Patriots

On April 1, 2014, Espino signed with the

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American professional Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. They are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League (EL), known as the Double-A Nort ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 2014, Espino slashed .252/.274/.298 with 1 home run and 18 RBI in 70 games.

Post-baseball career

On January 19, 2015, Espino retired from professional baseball and joined the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

organization as an international scout. He is currently a Panama-based scout and international crosschecker, and was involved in the signing of Cardinals catching prospect

Iván Herrera Iván Aaron Herrera (; born June 1, 2000) is a Panamanian professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022. Career Herrera signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an interna ...

Personal

Espino's cousin

Paolo Paolo is a masculine given name, the Italian language, Italian form of the name Paul (name), Paul. It may refer to: People Art * Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American sculptor * Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter * Paolo Anton ...

plays for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. Espino played in the

for

in both

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, with a total of three at-bats in the two series. Paolo was also on Panama's roster for the World Baseball Classic.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espino, Damaso 1983 births Living people Akron Aeros players Albuquerque Isotopes players Baseball catchers Birmingham Barons players Burlington Bees players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Columbus Clippers players Gulf Coast Reds players High Desert Mavericks players Omaha Royals players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the United States People from Los Santos Province Somerset Patriots players Wichita Wranglers players Wilmington Blue Rocks players 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2011 Baseball World Cup players Toros del Este players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic