Yoelkis Cespedes is a player to watch during the next international free agent signing period.
Yoelkis Cespedes is the younger half brother of the Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and mirrors his brother in his ability to play the game.
The younger Céspedes has all the tools to be a dominant force in the league. With maturation, he can be a five tool player.
The centerfielder from Granma decided to defect last summer during the Cuban National Team’s incursion in the Can-Am League as reported by the prestigious baseball page Pelota Cubana.
The talented Cuban will definitely be highly sought after this July 2nd by various ball clubs.
A coming out party
The 2016 Caribbean World Series was a coming out party for Céspedes, during that series the young slugger hit a whopping .313 and flashed his cannon of an arm.
” I felt a little tense in my first turn at bat due to the fact it was my first time playing outside of Cuba. As the tournament went on I felt more comfortable and my play reflected it.”
That season in the Cuban National Series he flashed an array of talent especially at the plate where he hit .297 with six homers, 15 doubles, nine triples and drove in 45.
Struggles in the World Classic
If there is any chink in Céspedes’s armor it’s his inability to hit the breaking pitch and this was exposed by Japan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
When teams discovered that deficiency they quickly exposed it and the Cuban hit .250 for the Classic. He also took plenty of walks back to the dugout during the tournament, punching out six times and only driving in one run.
With proper work, those holes in his swing can more than likely be corrected.
A similarity to Mesa
Céspedes in his defensive capabilities is very similar to the Marlin’s Victor Victor Mesa. They both posses plenty of range and a potent arms, but Mesa can play all outfield positions as opposed to Céspedes only being able to the play in corners.
What separates them is Céspedes’s ability to hit the ball with power and make quality contact, something Mesa hasn’t been able to do in the minors.
When I asked him what his goal was for the signing period he replied ,” To keep the Céspedes legacy going.”