Yu Darvish can kindly move over, because Yoenis Cespedes is stealing the show. Cespedes is ready to join the MLB after defecting from Cuba, and is showcasing himself via Youtube/Vimeo. I missed out on his first video, but his most recent scouting video caught my attention. It is basically a 28-minute resume, showcasing Cespedes’ freakishly athletic skills with some baseball clips in there as well. It’s nice to know he can land those 50 inch box jumps, but what can he do on the field?
Cespedes basically averaged a run per game over his illustrious Cuban career. His Home Run totals were generally in the low to mid 20s. Keep in mind that these are 88 game seasons. Translate that to 162 games, and its in 40 HR territory. Adjusting for difficulty of opponents, you have to think 30 HR in the majors is more likely. If you watch his showcase videos, you can quickly see speed is another skill Cespedes doesn’t lack. I can’t help but compare his potential to a player like Bobby Abreu.
Cespedes claims to be 26 years old, so who is willing to open their checkbooks after the Darvish sweepstakes are over? The Red Sox and Marlins appear to have some connections with Cespedes, but International player signings are always interesting. Could the Cardinals try to replace Pujols with another Latin American sensation? It should be fun to see the bidding war transpire. In the mean time, check out the video below to see what all the hype is about.
