Welcome to professional ball, Yoelqui Céspedes; how’d ya do in 2021?
- Born: September 24, 1997
- B/T: Right/Right
- 5’9″, 205-lbs
- Signed by the Chicago White Sox in 2021 as a free agent (originally from Cuba)
The Numbers
His raw numbers are listed above courtesy of baseball-reference.com. Let’s aggregate by year then focus on the important numbers for minor leaguers:
Cespedes played his first professional season split between High-A (two-thirds of the time) and Double-A (one-third of the time).
In High-A the power was all that and the speed was good and he got on base at a decent clip.
In Double-A the speed was all that and the power was poor and he got on base at a worse clip.
At both levels he struck out too much, and he walked not nearly enough, and it got worse as the season went on. He was simply too aggressive. When it works, ball go far. When it doesn’t work, batter goes to bench.
He liked hitting against lefties more than against righties, but his splits, while noticeable, were not so poor against righties to make us worry about a short-side platoon situation.
The Scouts
- Rotowire: #346 on their Top 400
- Fantrax: #289 on their Top 400
- Fantasy Six Pack: #607 on their dynasty Top 1,000+
- Imaginary Brick Wall: #137 on their Top 473
Warnings
The power (Hard Hit% of 32.2% for the full season, which is great) didn’t show in Double-A. He’s athletic and has the muscles on his compact frame, but we need to see more power in Double-A.
If he remains this aggressive at the plate, major league pitchers will eat him alive. He needs more time there to work on his plate discipline.
Conclusion
Boom or bust. If it clicks, he’ll hit home runs and steal bases while getting on base at a .350 clip.
Otherwise he’ll languish in Triple-A while the strikeouts pile up and the walks do not.
He’s 24 now, so while he has time, the clock is ticking and 2022 is an important year in his development. What he does this year will determine his future.