White Sox

White Sox Expected to Sign Yoelkis Cespedes in January

The White Sox are expected to ink Cuban outfielder Yoelkis Cespedes to a deal when the international signing period opens in January.

by
Matt Berklan
December 22, 2020

Photo: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images

According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, the White Sox intend to sign Cuban outfielder Yoelkis Cespedes for $2 million when the delayed international signing period opens in January.

Yoelki Cespedes has joined our 2020-21 international big board 👀

See where he ranks based off expected signing bonus + a brand new report on the White Sox target via @BenBadler 👇https://t.co/c4ik59pzIX

(🎥 @TenchyRodNYC)

pic.twitter.com/xkquLKcGR9
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) December 22, 2020

Cespedes is the top-ranked international player by MLB Pipeline and the #12 prospect at Baseball America. The White Sox were linked to the highly touted prospect earlier in the year, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the international signing period from this past July to January of 2021.

Yes, Cespedes is the half-brother of MLB outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

MLB.com profiles Yoelkis Cespedes as a “five-tool outfielder with above-average tools across the board.” His arm has been comparable to Yoenis’, which is mind-boggling to most scouts. The 23-year-old’s build is similar to his half-brother due to him bulking 20 pounds since defecting from Cuba. Further reports indicate that Yoelkis has been working with Yoenis to fixing holes in his swing.

Here’s a look at his stats from his time in Cuba:

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	75	290	246	43	67	13	0	6	41	7	1	17	42	.272	.352	.398	.750	98	4	16	6	5	3
2017-18	19	-9.3	Granma	CNS	Fgn	71	289	245	42	67	13	0	6	41	7	1	17	42	.273	.353	.400	.753	98	4	16	6	5	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
2018-19	20	-9.7	Granma	CNS	Fgn	21	77	72	4	23	5	0	0	7	1	0	2	18	.319	.355	.389	.744	28		2	1	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 (4 seasons)					Foreign	235	820	721	116	207	36	10	12	98	14	11	37	133	.287	.351	.415	.766	299	11	39	14	9	4
CNS (4 seasons)					CNS	226	803	704	114	202	35	10	12	98	14	11	37	129	.287	.352	.416	.769	293	11	39	14	9	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 (5 Seasons)						262	930	816	126	231	42	10	12	105	18	11	42	164	.283	.350	.403	.753	329		47	16	9	4

Fgn (4 seasons)					Foreign	226	803	704	114	202	35	10	12	98	14	11	37	129	.287	.352	.416	.769	293	11	39	14	9	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 12/22/2020.

The only nagging negative regarding Cespedes is an inability to hit or refrain from swinging at offspeed pitches. Overall, the scouting report on Cespedes reads fairly similar to another recent “five-tool” outfielder from Cuba that developed in the White Sox organization — none other than Luis Robert.

While Cespedes will need some time in the minor leagues to develop and satisfy MLB rules, it is not a stretch to think he will be at the big league level by some point in 2022.