Key members of the Baltimore Orioles front office, along with Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette have travelled to the Dominican Republic to take a look at Cuban slugger and outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
As you see in the video below, the man has some serious skills and the physique to boot; however, the question is – if and when he debuts in the majors – can he hit major league pitching consistently.
I’d hate to think that the Orioles would travel such a long way to just get a glimpse at a player and not make a move. At this point, I’d like the Orioles to take some risks and perhaps signing a player of Cespedes’ ability despite the price tag.
The Orioles need an impact player on the roster, despite having Adam Jones – who plays Cespedes’ natural position – and Nick Markakis in the outfield.
MASN Sports’ Steve Melewski recently had a blog entry on Cespedes and got some input from Ben Badler, who writes for Baseball America.
Cespedes is a 26-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder who defected from Cuba in 2011. He batted .333 with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs during the 2010-2011 season with the Cuban national team.
He has yet to officially establish residency and become a free agent, but that could happen any day now. Some speculate that Cespedes will be signed to a free agent contract in the $35-$50 million range.
Baseball America’s Ben Badler, a writer who is well connected on the international front, is pretty high on Cespedes.
“He’s probably, after Yu Darvish, the best baseball player available that hasn’t played in Major League Baseball yet,” Badler said. “He’s definitely one of the best Cuban players that has ever come over. He’s different from some of the other guys that came over when they were younger and needed a lot of minor league time.
“If he’s not big league ready, he is very close to being big league ready now. I think that he is a guy that should make an impact in 2012 whether he starts out in the majors or possibly in Triple-A just to start the season.
Cespedes not a free agent as of yet, since he must setup residency in the Dominican Republic; however, one must bet that he will be great demand.
The Orioles need to make a serious move – perhaps Cespedes is one worth taking.
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