Yoenis Céspedes Milanés (born October 18, 1985) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics. Before joining the Major Leagues, he played in the Cuban National Series and was a member of the Cuba national baseball team. He won the 2013 and 2014 Home Run Derby.
Céspedes is the son of Estela Milanés, a softball pitcher who appeared in the 2000 Summer Olympics for Cuba, and Cresencio Céspedes, a former Cuban League catcher who separated from Milanés when Yoenis was one year old. At age 10, as his talent became more apparent, he was sent by his mother to a state-run school where he could focus on baseball.
CUBAN CAREER.
Céspedes debuted in the Cuban National Series with Granma during the 2003–04 Cuban National Series, hitting .302/.382/.503 (batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage). He was considered for the Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year Award, but lost out to Frank Montieth.
He was the starting center fielder for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He hit .458/.480/1.000 with a double, 3 triples, 2 home runs, five runs and five RBI in six games. He led Cuba in slugging and was second to Frederich Cepeda in average, OBP and OPS. He tied Cepeda and Yulieski Gourriel for the team lead in runs and tied Gourriel for second in homers, behind Cepeda. He broke a 1–1 tie against Australia with a 6th-inning solo homer off Damian Moss and started a 16–4 romp over Mexico with a leadoff triple against Pablo Ortega. Céspedes tripled off Hisashi Iwakuma in Cuba’s last game of the tournament, a 5–0 loss to Japan, but did not score. Earlier in that game, he dropped a fly from Michihiro Ogasawara to let the first two Japanese runs score. Cuba thus missed the final four of an event for the first time ever; the Cuban team had also made the finals of every global baseball competition since 1959. He was named the All-Star center fielder, joining Despaigne and Cepeda in the outfield.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. DEFECTION.
Céspedes defected from Cuba in the summer of 2011, landing in the Dominican Republic with ten of his family members. He established residency in the country in January 2012, bypassing the MLB draft and becoming an unrestricted free agent. Céspedes was considered a five-tool outfielder going into free agency. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus declared Céspedes “arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation.”
OAKLAND ATHLETICS.
After interest from numerous Major League teams, Cespedes agreed to a 4-year, $36 million contract with the Oakland Athletics on February 13, 2012, with the deal becoming official the following month.
2013 SEASON.
On July 15, 2013, Céspedes won the 2013 Home Run Derby. A last-minute addition by team captain Robinson Cano to represent the American League squad, he hit 32 home runs total in the exhibition, including 17 in the first round. He defeated the National League’s Bryce Harper in the final round by hitting 9 home runs, with five swings to spare. He was the first winner of the contest who had not been selected to that year’s All-Star game. Cespedes hit .240 for the year and had 26 home runs along with 80 RBI’s. Though Cèspedes had a great postseason, the A’s were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers. Céspedes suffered several injuries throughout the season, including wrist, hamstring, and knee injuries.
2014 SEASON.
Céspedes had a great start to the season hitting .273 with 14 homers and 55 RBI’s and was 3rd in the All-Star Voting for the AL behind Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim through July 1.
In the On July 1, Céspedes suffered a hamstring injury while running against the Tigers on a RBI hit by Brandon Moss. Céspedes along with 5 other A’s players (Josh Donaldson, Derek Norris, Brandon Moss, and pitchers Scott Kazmir and Sean Doolittle) were chosen to play in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Target Field. Céspedes looked like he would be voted in to start in the All Star game but in the final week of the fan voting Adam Jones passed him to start for the AL.
On July 14, 2014, Céspedes won the Home Run Derby for a second time, becoming the first player to win consecutive Home Run Derby titles since Ken Griffey Jr. accomplished that feat in 1999. Céspedes played in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game where he went 0 for 2.
BOSTON RED SOX.
On July 31, 2014, Céspedes was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Jon Lester and utility player Jonny Gomes.[22] Cespedes hit his first home run as a member of the Boston Red Sox on August 10, 2014 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was a 3-run shot. Céspedes ended the season with a .260 batting average with 22 home runs and a career high 100 RBI.
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The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.
