Yoenis Céspedes

Cuban career

Before he left Cuba, his first name was usually written as Yoennis. Cespedes began his career in the Cuban National Series with the Alazanes de Granma in the 2003–04 season, posting a .302/.382/.503 slash line. He was up for the league’s Rookie of the Year award but finished behind Frank Montieth. The next season he hit .313/.403/.540.

In 2005–06, he batted .351/.444/.649 with 23 homers, 89 runs, and 78 RBI across 88 games, tying Yuli Gurriel for the league lead in runs and finishing second in home runs. At the 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week, he hit .481/.481/.741 for Cuba. Even with those numbers, he was not selected for Cuba’s 2006 World Baseball Classic roster. The following season, he slashed .303/.402/.541 with 17 home runs and 79 runs in 89 games, again leading the league in runs.

He made his Cuban national team debut at the 2007 Pan-American Games, going 1-for-7 with a stolen base and a run. In 2007–08, he hit .284/.342/.552 and placed second in the league with 26 home runs. During the 2008–09 campaign, he batted .323/.411/.601 with 24 homers and 83 runs in 87 games, earning a spot on the All-Star outfield alongside Giorvis Duvergel and Alfredo Despaigne.

Major League Baseball career

In the summer of 2011, Céspedes and six others took a 23-hour speedboat ride from Cuba to the Dominican Republic. After arriving, he met Dominican agent Edgar Mercedes, who established residency for him in Santiago, allowing him to bypass the MLB draft and become a free agent. He was considered a five-tool outfielder. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus declared him "arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation."

On February 13, 2012, he agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract with the Oakland Athletics, which became official the following month. He began the 2012 season in center field but was later moved to left field upon the return of Coco Crisp. In his major league debut on March 28, he went 1-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. The next day he hit his first major league home run, a two-run shot off Seattle Mariners reliever Shawn Kelley.

He hit his first walk-off home run on June 21 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Athletics won the American League West, and Céspedes batted .316 with a .381 OBP in the postseason. On July 15, 2013, he won the Home Run Derby as a last-minute addition by team captain Robinson Canó, defeating Bryce Harper in the final round. He hit .240 with 26 home runs and 80 RBIs that year.

He suffered several injuries throughout the season, including wrist, hamstring, and knee injuries. Through July 1, 2014, he was hitting .273 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs, and was third in All-Star voting for the AL behind José Bautista and Mike Trout.

Personal life

While playing in the major leagues, Céspedes lived in Manhattan, New York during the season and on his ranch in Port St. Lucie, Florida, during the offseason. He has a son, Yoenis Jr., whom he has not seen since leaving Cuba and is only able to speak to on the phone. He has a half-brother, Yoelqui, who played in the Chicago White Sox organization. In 2014, he signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports.

An exotic car enthusiast, he arrived at 2016 Mets' spring training with a variety of custom sports cars totaling under $1 million. He bought a 270-pound hog from a local county fair while at 2016 Mets' spring training, reportedly paying $7,000 for it. He acquired Chandler Bats in July 2019; the company specializes in professional wood baseball bats, and Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani use the bats.

Did You Know?

• Céspedes' mother, Estela Milanés, was a softball pitcher who appeared in the 2000 Summer Olympics for Cuba.
• In the 2009 World Baseball Classic, he hit .458/.480/1.000 with two home runs and was named to the All-WBC team.