White Sox

Yoelkis (Yoelquis) Cespedes: Future White Sox?

Yoelkis Cespedes, Yoenis’s younger brother, recently defected from Cuba and is now eligible to sign with an MLB team on March 18th.

by
ontapcontributors
March 5, 2020

Photo: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images

It’s extremely evident that the White Sox have a great history and connection with Cuban-born players. Most recently, they have been in touch with stud prospect Oscar Luis Colas, but here’s a familiar name: Cespedes. The Sox were always in the floated rumors about signing Yoenis Cespedes before the 2016 season, but he ended up with the New York Mets and a track record with a litany of injuries, most notably, falling off a horse at his ranch, which hindered his contract for the 2020 season. However, Yoelkis Cespedes is his brother who recently defected from Cuba. Yoelkis is now eligible to sign with an MLB team on March 18th, per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. He will have a showcase for teams beforehand.

UPDATE: Cespedes has been informed that he will be declared a free agent and eligible to sign on March 18. A showcase(s) remain in the works. https://t.co/Ggq6NTEeJH
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) March 4, 2020

Yoelkis is rumored to be a five-tool ballplayer, but one drawback may be that he is much smaller than his brother at 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds. That said, the 22-year-old’s limited Cuban stats are still impressive:

Register Batting
Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lg	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2015-16	17	-10.9	Granma	CNS	Fgn	44	79	74	10	19	2	1	0	5	0	1	1	18	.257	.304	.311	.615	23	1	4	0	0	0
2016	18		2 Teams	2 Lgs	Fgn-FgW	95	374	329	59	98	16	9	6	45	6	9	17	55	.298	.360	.456	.816	150	6	17	7	4	1
2016-17	18	-10.5	Granma	CNS	Fgn	90	358	313	58	93	15	9	6	45	6	9	17	51	.297	.362	.460	.822	144	6	17	7	4	1
2016-17	18	-11.0	Cuba	CARS	FgW	5	16	16	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.313	.313	.375	.688	6	0	0	0	0	0
2017	19		2 Teams	2 Lgs	Fgn-FgW	39	146	127	19	28	4	0	4	23	1	0	8	28	.220	.280	.346	.626	44	4	4	3	4	3
2017-18	19	-8.7	Granma	CNS	Fgn	35	145	126	18	28	4	0	4	23	1	0	8	28	.222	.282	.349	.631	44	4	4	3	4	3
2017-18	19	-9.5	Cuba	CARS	FgW	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0	0
2017	19	-7.8	Cuba	CAMA	Ind	20	89	77	9	21	6	0	0	7	3	0	5	25	.273	.364	.351	.714	27		6	1	0	0

2019	21	-5.3	Cuba	CAMA	Ind	7	21	18	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	6	.167	.250	.167	.417	3		2	1	0	0
Foreign (3 seasons)					Foreign	178	599	530	88	145	22	10	10	73	7	10	26	101	.274	.333	.409	.742	217	11	25	10	8	4
CNS (3 seasons)					CNS	169	582	513	86	140	21	10	10	73	7	10	26	97	.273	.334	.411	.745	211	11	25	10	8	4
Other (2 seasons)					Other	27	110	95	10	24	6	0	0	7	4	0	5	31	.253	.343	.316	.658	30		8	2	0	0
All Levels (4 Seasons)						205	709	625	98	169	28	10	10	80	11	10	31	132	.270	.334	.395	.729	247	11	33	12	8	4

Fgn (3 seasons)					Foreign	169	582	513	86	140	21	10	10	73	7	10	26	97	.273	.334	.411	.745	211	11	25	10	8	4
FgW (2 seasons)					Foreign	9	17	17	2	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.294	.294	.353	.647	6	0	0	0	0	0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/5/2020.

This could be a great international signing for the White Sox to build depth in the minor leagues with a prized prospect. There is a chance, on the other hand, that Yoelkis waits until July 2nd to sign. Either way, the White Sox should advance with this Cuban player connection. Cespedes would make a great fit for their organization.