Yoenis Cespedes Signs with Oakland A's: 20 Best Cuban Imports of All Time

Did anyone see this coming?

If you did, please contact me—I'd like to pick your brain for this week's winning Powerball numbers.

Everybody, myself included, fully expected Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to wind up with the Miami Marlins. As recently as last week, the Marlins met with Cespedes, giving him a tour of their new ballpark.

But out of nowhere, Billy Beane and the Oakland A's reportedly swooped in and signed the 26-year-old Cespedes to a four-year, $36 million contract.

Cespedes brings with him a lot of hype and big expectations—whether or not he will be able to meet or exceed those remains to be seen.

If successful, Cespedes would join a long list of Cuban baseball players who had successful careers playing baseball in the United States.

Let's take a look at the best Cuban imports that we have seen to date.

Seven Players Who Could Crack the Top 20 in the Next Few Years

These players have yet to make their mark in major league baseball, but they have the tools and talent needed to succeed. Any and all of these players could find themselves among the 20 best Cuban imports of all time in a few years.

Yonder Alonso, San Diego Padres

Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland A's

Gerardo Concepcion, Chicago Cubs

Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds

Dayan Viciedo, Chicago White Sox

Jose Iglesias, Boston Red Sox

Leonys Martin, Texas Rangers

20. Yuniesky Betancourt

Career Stats (2005-present: seven seasons)

.268 BA, .292 OBP, .391 SLG, .683 OPS, 60 HR, 375 RBI, 925 H, 30 SB

Yuniesky Betancourt signed with the Kansas City Royals this past December, marking his second stint with the Royals. Over the course of his seven-year career, Betancourt has spent time with the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers as well.

A slap hitter who flashes gap power on occasion, Betancourt has virtually no plate discipline, as he rarely walks. His best season likely came with the Royals in 2010, when he hit .259 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI.

In 2012, he will likely split time with youngster Alcides Escobar as the Royals look to take the next step in their rebuilding process.

19. Rey Ordonez

Career Stats (1996-2004: four seasons)

.246 BA, .289 OBP, .310 SLG, .600 OPS, 12 HR, 287 RBI, 767 H, 28 SB

Signed by the New York Mets as a 22-year-old in 1993, it would take three years for the light-hitting Rey Ordonez to make his major league debut.

Not known for his bat or approach to hitting, Ordonez was a phenomenal defensive shortstop, making routine plays look effortless and impossible plays look not so impossible.

Ordonez would take home three consecutive NL Gold Glove awards from 1997 through 1999, committing only 30 errors in 1,858 chances.

After being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays following the 2002 season, Ordonez would see his career fizzle, and he was out of the league shortly after the 2004 All-Star break when the Chicago Cubs released him.

18. Sandy Consuegra

Career Stats (1950-1957: eight seasons)

51-32, 3.37 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 809.1 IP, 811 H, 246 BB, 193 SO, 24 CG, 26 SV

Primarily a relief pitcher, Sandy Consuegra spent the bulk of his eight-year career with the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox.

His 1954 season with the White Sox was remarkable—Consuegra would go 16-3 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, three complete games and three saves over 154 innings pitched. He led the league with a .842 winning percentage, and half of his 16 wins came in relief.

He would spend the last year-and-a-half of his career with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Giants before retiring in 1957.

17. Joe Azcue

Career Stats (1960, 1962-1970, 1972: 11 seasons)

.252 BA, .304 OBP, .344 SLG, .648 OPS, 50 HR, 304 RBI, 712 H, 5 SB

Signed by the Cincinnati Reds (then the Cincinnati Redlegs) in 1956, Joe Azcue found himself a part of seven different organizations—the Reds, Milwaukee Braves, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, California Angels, Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers) before his career came to an end in 1972.

Primarily a defensive catcher, Azcue had a cannon of a throwing arm and threw out an impressive 45 percent of those who attempted to steal on him, leading the league with a 62 percent mark in 1966.

Azcue spent parts of seven seasons (1962 through 1969) with the Indians, achieving his greatest success. In 1968, he was named to the American League All-Star team and finished the year hitting .280 with four home runs and 42 RBI.

His most notable achievement is one that he likely would like to forget: Against the Washington Nationals in 1968, Azcue hit into the game's first unassisted triple play in 41 years.

16. Alexei Ramirez

Career Stats (2008-2011: four seasons)

.279 BA, .323 OBP, .421 SLG, .725 OPS, 69 HR, 285 RBI, 619 H, 47 SB

Alexei Ramirez joined the Chicago White Sox in 2008 and finished second to Evan Longoria in AL Rookie of the Year voting after putting up a .290 average, 21 home runs and 77 RBI as the starting shortstop in Chicago.

An average defensive shortstop, Ramirez is under contract with the White Sox through the 2016 season. While he has reached the 30-year-old mark, if he can continue to put up the solid numbers he has produced thus far in his career, Ramirez has a chance to jump over a few players who are in front of him on this list.

No. 15: Leo Cardenas

Career Stats (1960-1975: 16 seasons)

.257 BA, .311 OBP, .367 SLG, .679 OPS, 118 HR, 689 RBI, 1725 H, 39 SB

A smooth-fielding shortstop, Leo "Chico" Cardenas spent nine of his 16 major league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was named to four NL All-Star teams and was the recipient of the 1965 NL Gold Glove award.

The best stretch of his career came after he left Cincinnati and was a member of the Minnesota Twins, where he hit .263 with an average of 13 home runs and 70 RBI from 1961 through 1971, making the 1971 AL All-Star team as well.

After leaving the Twins, Cardenas spent time with the California Angels, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers before hanging up his spikes following the 1975 season.

No. 14: Cookie Rojas

Career Stats (1962-1977: 16 seasons)

.263 BA, .306 OBP, .337 SLG, .643 OPS, 54 HR, 593 RBI, 1660 H, 74 SB

Cookie Rojas came into his own as a second baseman with the Philadelphia Phillies, though he played every position on the field for them in 1967. Teamed with Phillies SS Bobby Wine, the duo comprised one of the best double-play combinations in the game.

Rojas would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals following the 1969 season and found himself on the move again in 1970, this time to the Kansas City Royals.

There, Rojas would become a fan favorite and appear in four consecutive All-Star games from 1971 through 1975.

Twice a .300 hitter, Rojas became the first non-American born player to hit a home run for the American League in the All-Star game in 1970.

No. 13: Jose Contreras

Career Stats (2003-present: nine seasons)

77-67, 4.54 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 1154.1 IP, 1156 H, 418 BB, 869 SO, 5 CG, 9 SV

With the ink still drying on his new four-year, $32 million contract, 31-year-old Jose Contreras had a solid rookie campaign with the Yankees in 2003, going 7-2 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 71 innings pitched as a starter and reliever.

Things fell apart quickly for Contreras after that, and he found himself traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2004, where he would spend parts of six seasons. From 2005 through 2007, Contreras won 38 games for Chicago and was an important piece in its march toward the 2005 World Series championship.

Contreras never lived up to his billing as a front-of-the-rotation starter, but he's proven, over the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, to be a capable arm out of the bullpen, going 6-4 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 24 walks, 70 strikeouts and nine saves over 70.2 innings of relief.

No. 12: Tony Gonzalez

Career Stats (1960-1971: 12 seasons)

.286 BA, .350 OBP, .413 SLG, .764 OPS, 103 HR, 615 RBI, 1485 H, 79 SB

Originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1957, Tony Gonzalez would only spend 39 games with the Reds in 1960 before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies midway through the season, and it was in Philadelphia that he found a home.

An above-average defensive CF, Gonzalez hit double-digit home runs for the Phillies twice and hit over .300 three times. His .339 average in 1967 placed him second in the race for the NL batting crown, won that year by Roberto Clemente with a .357 mark.

After being drafted by the San Diego Padres in the expansion draft prior to the 1969 season, Gonzalez struggled to find his groove again, and after stints with the Padres, Atlanta Braves and California Angels, he retired following the 1971 season.

No 11: Jose Cardenal

Career Stats (1963-1980: 18 seasons)

.275 BA, .333 OBP, .395 SLG, .728 OPS, 138 HR, 775 RBI, 329 SB

Jose Cardenal carved out a solid playing career as a line-drive hitter who had excellent speed on the bases, stealing 20 or more in 10 of his 18 big league seasons. His speed was also an asset in the field as he had enough range to play all three outfield positions well and had a strong, accurate throwing arm to go along with it.

His best stretch of baseball was the six seasons he spent with the Chicago Cubs from 1972 through 1977, where he would hit over .300 twice and over .290 five times. He did receive some support for NL MVP in 1972 and 1973, but he finished far out of the running both times.

No. 10: Orlando Hernandez

Career Stats (1998-2002, 2004-2007: nine seasons)

90-65, 4.13 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 1314.2  IP, 1181 H, 479 BB, 1086 SO, 9 CG, 2 SV

While nobody has ever been certain of his actual age, Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez enjoyed a successful major league career with four different teams, most notably the New York Yankees.

From his debut in 1998 through 2000, El Duque went 41-26 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP over 551 innings pitched, winning three World Series championships.

It was the postseason where Hernandez would shine the brightest. In 19 postseason games, 14 of them starts, Hernandez has a 9-3 record, 2.55 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 107 strikeouts over 106 innings pitched.

After leaving the Yankees following the 2004 season, Hernandez spent time with the Chicago White Sox (with whom he would win his fourth World Series championship in 2005), Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets.

He spent 2009 with the Texas Rangers' Triple-A club and 2010 in the Washington Nationals' minor league system but never made it back to the major leagues before announcing his retirement this past August.

No. 9: Livan Hernandez

Career Stats (1996-present: 16 seasons)

174-176, 4.39 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 3121.2 IP, 3441 H, 1050 BB, 1928 SO, 50 CG

Like his half-brother Orlando, Livan Hernandez burst onto the scene in a big way.

With the Florida Marlins in 1997, Hernandez went 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over 96.1 innings pitched, only to up his game in the postseason. In five postseason starts, Livan would go 4-0 with a 3.18 ERA, picking up NLCS and World Series MVP awards en route to helping the Marlins win their first World Series championship.

For seven straight seasons, from 2000 through 2006, Hernandez would win double-digit games and pitch at least 200 innings, a category he led the league in from 2003 through 2005.

He has played with seven different teams and will join the Houston Astros in spring training this year.

No. 8: Dolf Luque

Career Stats (1914-1915, 1918-1935: 20 seasons)

194-179, 3.24 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3220.1 IP, 3231 H, 918 BB, 1130 SO, 206 CG. 28 SV

It wasn't until Dolph Luque found himself a member of the Cincinnati Reds that his career started to take shape.

After appearing in four games over two seasons for the Boston Braves, Luque was not seen again until 1918, when he broke onto the scene as a 27-year-old.

Luque proved that age is only a number, as he spent the next decade providing the Reds with double-digit wins. In 1923, Luque would go 27-8 with a 1.93 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 27 complete games over 322 innings pitched.

After being traded to the Brooklyn Robins prior to the 1930 season, Luque would struggle to achieve the same level of success that he had with the Reds, though he would help the New York Giants to a World Series championship in 1933.

No. 7: Camilo Pascual

Career Stats (1954-1971: 18 seasons)

174-170, 3.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 2930.2 IP, 2703 H, 1069 BB, 2167 SO, 132 CG, 10 SV

A seven-time All-Star, Camilo Pascual started his major league career as a 20-year-old in the Washington Senators bullpen, but it wasn't long before he was inserted into their starting rotation.

From 1959 through 1964, Pascual went 100-66 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP over 1,416 innings pitched. He won 20 games twice during that period, and he led the league in strikeouts, including a career-high 221 in 1961, three times, from 1961 through 1963.

No. 6: Bert Campaneris

Career Stats (1964-1981, 1983: 19 seasons)

.259 BA, .311 OBP, .342 SLG, .653 OPS, 79 HR, 646 RBI, 2249 H, 649 SB

A six-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion, Bert Campaneris was the table-setter on the excellent teams that the Oakland Athletics had in the early-to-mid '70s.

As fast as anyone in the game, "Campy" led the league in stolen bases six times, and his 649 swipes are good enough for 14th on the all-time list.

In 1965, with the Athletics facing dwindling attendance in Kansas City, owner Charlie Finley introduced a promotion where Campaneris would play every position on the field in a game. On September 8, 1965, in front of just over 21,000 fans, Campaneris achieved the feat, marking the first time that it had been done.

No. 5: Mike Cuellar

Career Stats (1959, 1964-1977: 15 seasons)

185-130, 3.14 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 2808 IP, 2538 H, 822 BB, 1632 SO, 36 CG, 11 SV

While he signed with the Cincinnati Reds as a 20-year-old in 1957 and spent time with the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals, Mike Cuellar did not come into his own until he was 32 years old and a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

Cuellar was traded to the Orioles following the 1968 season and quickly made the Orioles very happy to have him, winning the 1969 AL Cy Young Award after going 23-11 with a 2.38 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP over 290.2 innings pitched.

From 1969 through 1975, Cuellar went 139-75 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 1,921.1 innings pitched, winning at least 20 games on four separate occasions. That's an average season of 20-11 with a 3.08 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and 274 innings pitched

Cuellar would stay with the Orioles until the end of the 1976 season and retired shortly after two forgettable games with the California Angels in 2007 at the age of 40.

No. 4: Minnie Minoso

Career Stats (1949, 1951-1964, 1976, 1980: 17 seasons)

.298 BA, .389 OBP, .459 SLG, .848 OPS, 186 HR, 1023 RBI, 1963 H, 205 SB

After spending parts of two seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Minnie Minoso broke out upon his arrival to the Chicago White Sox early in the 1951 season. Minoso would hit .324 with 10 home runs and 74 RBI for Chicago, and his 14 triples and 31 stolen bases would lead the league.

Minoso was a seven-time All-Star who led the league in triples and stolen bases three times during his time in Chicago.

After retiring from the game in 1964 at the age of 38, Minoso came back at the age of 50 in 1976 for eight at-bats and again in 1980 at the age of 54 for two more at-bats, becoming the third-oldest player to appear in a major league game and one of only 29 players to play in five different decades.

In 1993, after a failed attempt three years earlier with a minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, Minoso appeared in a game for the independent St. Paul Saints at the age of 67, In 2003, at the age of 77, Minoso once again suited up for the Saints, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance.

No. 3: Tony Oliva

Career Stats (1962-1976: 15 seasons)

.304 BA, .353 OBP, .476 SLG, .830 OPS, 220 HR, 947 RBI, 1917 H, 86 SB

From 1964 through 1971, Tony Oliva was one of the best offensive players in the game for the Minnesota Twins and appeared in eight consecutive All-Star Games.

Three times during that span he would win three AL batting crowns, lead the league in hits five times, in doubles four times and finish in the top five of the MVP voting four times while taking home Rookie of the Year honors in 1964.

Oliva spent his entire career with the Twins and had his number retired by the team in 1991. In 2000, he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame and in 2011, the team unveiled a statue of Oliva that stands outside of Target Field.

No. 2: Luis Tiant

Career Stats (1964-1982: 19 seasons)

229-172, 3.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3486.1 IP, 3075 H, 1104 BB, 2416 SO, 187 CG, 15 SV

A three-time All-Star, four-time 20-game winner and two-time ERA leader, Luis Tiant spent the bulk of his career with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox.

One of the most successful pitchers of the 1970s, Tiant posted a record of 142-92, a 3.42 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP from 1970 through 1979.

Arguably the best pitcher to not be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, Tiant is unarguably the best Cuban pitcher the game has ever seen.

No.1: Tony Perez

Career Stats (1964-1986: 23 seasons)

.279 BA, .341 OBP, .463 SLG, .804 OPS, 379 HR, 1652 RBI, 2732 H

As if there was ever any doubt who the greatest Cuban player in major league history was.

I wrote the following about Tony Perez back in October, and I believe it does the Hall of Famer justice in describing how important a figure in baseball history he was:

"

The unquestioned leader of the Cincinnati Reds for nearly 20 years, Tony Perez is a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion.

In Game 7 of the 1975 World Series, the Reds found themselves down 3-0 when Perez came to the plate in the top of the sixth inning.

With a swing of the bat he changed the path of the game, as his two-run shot to deep left field put the Reds on the board and back in the game. Pete Rose and Joe Morgan would eventually drive in the game-tying and winning runs, as the Reds won the series.

"

Perez is one of the great run-producers in baseball history—his 1,652 RBI land him 28th on the all-time list. Without Tony Perez, the Big Red Machine likely would not have been as big.