The White Sox have made another big splash in the international baseball markets. Acquiring young stars such as, José Abreu and Luis Robert, the Sox have been heavily involved in the Cuban international markets. According to MLB pipeline the White Sox are rumored to have signed the number 1 ranked international free agent outfielder Yoelqui Céspedes. If the last name sounds familiar it should. Yoelqui is the younger half brother of former slugging superstar Yoenis Céspedes. Yoelqui is expected to sign a $2 million dollar contract with the club. Céspedes is 23 years old and is expected to ink his deal with the Sox in the middle of January. He has played in the World Baseball Classic and various other Cuban leagues so we were able to get a glimpse of the prospect. Since 2015, Céspedes has hit .287 and registered a respectable .753 OPS through 262 games. Céspedes is about 5-9 and weights 205 lbs, after adding roughly 15 pounds since defecting from the Cuban national team in 2019. His frame and build will certainly allow him to possibly become a strong emerging prospect to succeed in the league and to improve on his already impressive skill set.
Scouts believe Céspedes is a 5-tool player with above average tools that give him the upside to become a cornerstone piece in the White Sox organization. The White Sox certainly believe Céspedes to be that guy for them. Now we know what the highly ranked IFA can become, it’s only a matter of when we could expect to see Céspedes join the organization and possibly start gaining that major league experience.
Given his age, he is a bit older than most international prospects, who are typically in their late teens when being signed to organization, Céspedes being 23 leads us to believe that the White Sox have faith that he will be MLB ready shortly. Two weeks ago the White Sox and veteran outfielder, Adam Eaton agreed to a 1 year- 8 million dollar deal with a 8.5 million dollar club option for the 2022 season to return back to Chicago. He is coming off a down year in 2020, he hit just .266 with 4 home runs and 17 RBIs. Eaton is expected to be the every-day right fielder for Chicago this season and given his playoff experience and veteran status Eaton will serve as a mentor to the young core of talent they possess. This signing also plays a decisive role, having Eaton serve as a bridge to Céspedes allowing the free agent signing to get some professional work before he is eventually ready to join the club in the big leagues. Céspedes is expected to start this season in AA ball, and his progression and development will likely determine whether the Sox continue to keep Eaton in the future. The likely scenario is that the White Sox expect Céspedes to be ready to join the club in 2022 but having that club option on Eaton allows them flexibility if they do not think their new prospect is ready. I’m really excited to monitor the young Cuban player’s development and see if he can become another impact player on the White Sox along with their other bright young stars. It is also important to recognize that Chicago might not be done with their activeness in the international markets as they are also linked to other top prospect Oscar Colas. It is going to be interesting to see if the Sox continue to dive deeper into this market.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/sports/baseball/yoelkis-cespedes-cuba-world-baseball-classic.html
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