The White Sox’s Cuban pipeline will continue into 2021 as the club is expected to sign one of the top players available in January’s international signing class. Yoelqui Cespedes, the younger half-brother of major league veteran Yoenis will sign with the White Sox, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
The White Sox aren’t able to officially comment on the agreement until it can become official on Jan. 15, 2021. Jesse Sanchez of MLB Pipeline also confirmed the signing news as well. Cespedes is ranked as the No. 1 player in the international class according to the publication.
The 23-year-old outfielder has been training at his brother’s ranch in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and hasn’t been scouted recently. He was deemed eligible to sign a professional contract back in March, but the process was very delayed due to the pandemic. Cespedes played for Cuba in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and participated with Granma in Cuba’s Serie Nacional prior to that. During the 2017-2018 season, the outfielder hit .273/.353/.400 in 289 plate appearances with 42 strikeouts, 18 walks and 6 homers. He also hit .319/.355/.389 in 77 plate appearances as a 21-year-old in his final season.
We detailed Cespedes and the organization’s interest back in March. The 5-foot-9, 205-pounder has a shorter, athletic frame, but he’d added mass and bulk since defecting from the Can-AM League in New York earlier this year. He possesses good bat speed and a strong athletic arm that plays in all three outfield spots. The 23-year-old trained in the Bahamas initially after defecting but soon joined his older brother in the states for Rocky 4 like workouts (or something like that). Cespedes has always been known as a plus runner, solid defender and line drive hitter.
MLB Pipeline ranked the outfielder as the top player in the upcoming international signing class. Sanchez notes that Cespedes presently has five average or better tools. The scouting grades according to the publication are: Hit 50, Run 60, Fielding 55, Power 55 and Arm 60. In addition to adding 15 pounds of mass since defecting, his swing has been revamped as well. It now reportedly looks identical to the swing of his brother Yoenis and it shows more power and explosive bat speed.
Another source told FutureSox that Marco Paddy, who leads international scouting for the White Sox, “has always loved his tools.” Cespedes joins Cuban right-hander Norge Vera who will also sign with the club for $1.5 million. Chicago is turning into Little Havana at this point. Infielder Yolbert Sanchez was the club’s prize during the 2019 international signing class as well. The White Sox have a Cuban pipeline on the South Side and it continues to become more evident. Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert and Yasmani Grandal occupy lineup spots currently and the organization’s storied history began with Minnie Minoso in the 1950’s.
Some footage of Cespedes from the World Baseball Classic:
More footage from Granma in Cuba:
Cespedes is receiving in the neighborhood of $2 million from the White Sox. The club will also sign Vera for $1.5 million. In addition to those fairly big ticket items, the club has six additional reported signings for around $1.8 million. Cespedes and Vera will likely slot into the 6-10 range in the system on top prospect lists at the majority of publications.
The ultimate destination for the other widely-discussed Cuban defector Oscar Colas isn’t presently known. With the timing of the international period delayed, players in this category are at a supreme disadvantage to their peers. The 22-year-old Colas isn’t yet cleared to sign in accordance with the rules of Major League Baseball. It’s likely that he will receive clearance in time to sign during the upcoming period, but that may not matter. Most clubs have already allocated their available resources for the 2020-2021 period. While the outfielder would benefit from signing soon due to his advanced prospect age, waiting until January 2022 when the following signing period begins may become his best course of action.
The White Sox have rumored interest in Colas as well. They won’t be able to sign him during the upcoming period because the majority of their allotted $5.4 million is already accounted for. If the outfielder chooses to wait, however, the White Sox should be considered a prime destination due to their history and available resources. Colas shares an agent with Vera and Yoan Moncada and the White Sox have almost assuredly been in touch with his representatives.
There was a path to signing both players prior to the Covid-19 pandemic derailing the marketplace. It’s likely that Cespedes had an agreement to sign with the White Sox this past July. In that case, it would be prudent for Paddy and his staff to lock up Colas in the period that would have started in July 2021. MLB shifted the time periods back six months to January. Because of that players in the position of Oscar Colas have to wait to extract as much money as possible from a club.
FutureSox will continue to cover the international activity for the club and an official signing preview will post on the site prior to January 15.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.
Pingback: White Sox signing Cespedes bro is GOOD and TERRIBLE - From The 108