Meet Yoenis Céspedes: The Next Great Cuban-Born Major League Baseball Player

By now, you undoubtedly have heard the name Yoenis Céspedes. The Cuban sensation has been drawing interest from several Major League clubs, including the Yankees, The Tigers, the Nationals and the Boston Red Sox.

What is all the fuss about? Let me tell you.

First of all, according to baseballprospectus.com's Kevin Goldstein, Céspedes is "arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation." That is quite a feat considering there have been several very good baseball players to come from Cuba, such as Yuniesky Bettencourt, Aroldis Chapman and Alexei Ramirez to name a few.

Early scouting reports state that Céspedes is a five-tool baseball player. He is listed as 26 years old, stands 6 feet tall and weighs 215 pounds. In other words, he sounds physically like a baseball player primed to enter the heart of his playing career.

So what has he done to garner all this attention? The first thing that stands out to me is his power. In the 2010-2011 season, playing for Cuba's premier baseball league, the Serie Nacional, Céspedes broke the single-season home-run record, belting 33 long balls in just 90 games. One home run every 2.73 games, translated into Major League terms, which could mean the man is capable of hitting damn near 60 homers in the course of a season. Sure, that is a stretch, but on average, it could happen.

It is not just his power that is impressive though. In the same season that he managed to put up the power numbers, he batted .333 with an OBP of .424 and a SLG of .667. That is quite impressive. Granted, it is against other Cuban players and not against the heavy competition he would see in the majors, but damn good nonetheless.

As for speed, in the 2010-11 season he stole 11 bags on 14 attempts. Keep in mind again, this is in a 90-game season. By all accounts the man is fast. His range in the outfield is impressive.

Monetarily, it is rumored that Céspedes is looking to acquire a contract in the $60 million range for eight years. Are you hearing this Boston fans? That is only $7.5 million per season, a little more than half of what was just shelled out for J.D. Drew—and by all accounts, Céspedes will be twice the player.