Yoelkis Céspedes

Yoelkis Céspedes Maceo

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7", Weight 187 lb.

• Born September 24, 1997 in Yara, Granma Cuba

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Yoelkis Céspedes has played in Cuba and in the U.S. minors. He is the half-brother of Yoenis Céspedes. Like Yoenis, he is known under various spellings of his first name, also including Yoelqui, Yoelquis and Yoelki.

Yoelkis debuted with the Alazanes de Granma in 2015-2016, hitting .257/.304/.311 as a backup corner outfielder. He made big strides in 2016-2017, producing at a .297/.362/.460 clip with 9 triples and 58 runs in 90 games. Splitting time between right and center, he fielded .973 and had 10 outfield assists. He was 4th in the Serie Nacional in runs (between Jeferson Delgado and Yorbis Borroto), led in triples (3 ahead of Víctor Mesa Jr.), tied Yurien Vizcaino for 7th in total bases (144), tied for third in caught stealing (9, against only 6 SB), was second in hit-by-pitch (17, two behind Dennis Laza), was second in strikeouts (51, 5 behind Vizcaino) and 6th in bases per hit (1.55). In the last game of the finals, he hit the game-tying single off José Angel García in the 7th to score Eliecer Griñan. The 19-year-old had helped Granma to its first title, something they had not accomplished in the time his half-brother had starred for the team.

Céspedes played well in the 2017 Caribbean Series, hitting .313/.313/.375 and making a highlight reel catch-and-throw double play. He drew attention from the US media during the Series, which compared him to his half-brother. Yoelkis said the two were in touch and that Yoennis often gave him feedback on his play. After the Series, he was named to the Cuban national team for the 2017 World Baseball Classic; debuting for Cuba at age 19, he edged out his brother, who was 21 when he appeared in the 2007 Pan American Games. He was also Cuba's youngest player, almost a year younger than Raidel Martinez, the next-youngest. He hit .250/.250/.313 as Cuba's starter in left.

In June 2019, he was playing in the Can-Am Association with the Cuban national team when he decided to defect and then went to the Bahamas to establish residency and be declared a free agent. He became eligible to sign with a major league team on March 18, 2020. Of course, that date coincided with the coronavirus pandemic upending all baseball activities, so he had to wait a few months to find a team as the July international signing period was cancelled. In December 2020, it was reported that he had come to an agreement with the Chicago White Sox and would sign a deal as soon as the next signing period began, on January 15, 2021. He was rumored to be in line to receive a signing bonus of $2 million. The signing did take place, and he played the 2021 season in the minors, after a delayed start caused by visa issues. He split his time between the Winston-Salem Dash of the High-A East and the Birmingham Barons of the Double-A South. He hit a combined .285/.350/.463 in 72 games, with 7 of his 8 homers coming in his 45 games with Winston-Salem. After the season, he took part in the Arizona Fall League where his main focus was to work on his playe discipline.

Sources

• Beisbolcubano
• 2017 Article on Cespedes by Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com
• Caribbean Series
• World Baseball Classic

Further Reading

• Anthony DiComo: "Céspedes brothers reunite, prepare for Majors", mlb.com, March 4, 2020. [1]
• Scott Merkin: "Céspedes' mindset: 'I want to get there and stay there'", mlb.com, February 24, 2022. [2]
• Jesse Sanchez: "White Sox to land Yoelqui Céspedes (sources)", mlb.com, December 22, 2020. [3]