America, meet Yoenis Cespedes

Cespedes passes the eye test

BY David Villavicencio

Yu Darvish is the hot international free agent on the market this winter but there is another talented player with a “Y” name that will garner a lot of interest.

Yoenis Cespedes is six feet and 215 pounds of impressive baseball talent. The 26-year-old defected from his native Cuba to the Dominican Republic and is expected to be granted free agency soon.

Cespedes recently set the single season home run record in Cuba and was the starting centerfielder for the Cuban team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The five-tool prospect shined in the WBC, batting .458 with a double, three triples, two home runs, five runs scored and five runs batted in over six games.

“El Talento” or “La Potencia”, as Cespedes is known in Cuba, is widely considered the best position player in his native land. He is being advised by Edgar Mercedes and is officially represented by Adam Katz.

Cespedes has big league power

Cespedes has a tryout on Friday in the Dominican Republic and is rumored to be looking for a contract worth $30 million once his hits the open market. There are rumors that the Yankees, Nationals, Marlins and Phillies are all interested.

Personally, I think he would be a great fit for the Marlins.  He would fill the void in centerfield and give them one of the best young outfield trios in the game.

Want to see what Cespedes is all about? Check out the scouting video Mercedes put together to showcase his skills. It is a little ridiculous and doesn't show as much baseball skill as you'd like but you should definitely watch it. I have to warn you though, there is foul language in some of the songs chosen for background music.
Yoenis Cespedes: The Showcase