{"id":104047,"date":"2024-03-13T03:19:11","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T03:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/?p=104047"},"modified":"2024-03-13T03:21:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T03:21:39","slug":"why-yoeilin-cespedes-someday-could-become-red-soxs-top-prospect-hong-nhung","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nflquynh.aweu.info\/why-yoeilin-cespedes-someday-could-become-red-soxs-top-prospect-hong-nhung\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Yoeilin Cespedes Someday Could Become Red Sox\u2019s Top Prospect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the start of the 2024 season, NESN.com is evaluating\u00a0several noteworthy prospects\u00a0in the Boston Red Sox organization, using insight and analysis from industry experts to gauge each player\u2019s outlook for the upcoming campaign. Next up: Yoeilin Cespedes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"SoxProspects.com<\/p>\n

Prospect rankings are fluid.<\/p>\n

Players progress and regress. Sometimes, they change teams. And organizations evolve, for better or worse.<\/p>\n

So, while there\u2019s\u00a0a clear \u201ctop three\u201d\u00a0in the Red Sox farm system ahead of the 2024 season, it\u2019s worth considering who will represent the next wave.<\/p>\n

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One possibility: Yoeilin Cespedes.<\/p>\n

Cespedes hasn\u2019t been with the Red Sox long, but he\u2019s\u00a0already turning heads\u00a0thanks to his immense potential. It wouldn\u2019t be shocking to see him soar up prospect rankings over the next few years, perhaps starting\u00a0this<\/em>\u00a0season.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the 18-year-old infielder.<\/p>\n

Background<\/strong>
\nThe Red Sox signed Cespedes as an international free agent in January 2023. Cespedes, who was 17 at the time, landed a $1.4 million signing bonus, an indication of just how highly the Red Sox think of the Dominican Republic native despite his youth and inexperience.<\/p>\n

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MLB Pipeline had Cespedes ranked\u00a0No. 25 in the international free agent class, a group headlined by Ethan Salas, who since developed into one of the game\u2019s most highly regarded prospects with the San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n

Cespedes is small in stature, listed at 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds, but he\u00a0drew rave reviews\u00a0for his\u00a0pure hitting ability, which he quickly displayed\u00a0during a 46-game debut\u00a0in the Dominican Summer League last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s put up some numbers we haven\u2019t seen very much from that level,\u201d Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero told MassLive.com last July.<\/p>\n

Cespedes slashed .346\/.392\/.560 with six home runs and 38 RBIs in 209 plate appearances. He was named the Red Sox\u2019s\u00a0Latin Program Position Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

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Scouting report<\/strong>
\nAlex Speier wrote for Baseball America last July that Cespedes already looked like\u00a0one of the top hitting prospects\u00a0to come through the Red Sox Dominican Academy since Rafael Devers a decade ago. Lofty praise, obviously.<\/p>\n

Speier isn\u2019t alone in that assessment, either, as there\u2019s a contingent of evaluators who believe Cespedes could be something special.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a tough one because I still haven\u2019t seen him (play),\u201d Ian Cundall, director of scouting for\u00a0SoxProspects.com, recently told NESN.com. \u201cBut I\u2019ve talked to some people who have, and there are people who think he should be like a top-five guy in the system already.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what exactly stands out about Cespedes, a diminutive teenager who doesn\u2019t even have a full professional season under his belt?<\/p>\n

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Well, let\u2019s start with the bat.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a much different profile than Devers, now one of MLB\u2019s most feared sluggers, but it\u2019s nevertheless tantalizing. MLB Pipeline wrote that Cespedes boasts \u201cplus bat speed,\u201d \u201cnoteworthy raw power\u201d and \u201can advanced approach,\u201d and it doesn\u2019t sound like anything he\u2019s done since signing with the Red Sox has dispelled those notions. By all accounts, the kid can rake.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis max (exit velocities) are insane for someone his age and size,\u201d Cundall said. \u201cI think it was like 107 (mph) last year, which is really, really good for a 17-year-old who\u2019s 5-9. And I just think what he showed at the plate was really impressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe caveat with all this is it\u2019s the DSL. But people who watch the DSL consistently were all blown away by him and said he was the best guy on that Red Sox team by far.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cespedes is aggressive at the plate \u2014 he walked just 14 times in 209 plate appearances last season \u2014 and thus might need to become more selective as he climbs the system. But Romero told MassLive that Cespedes \u201cuses the whole field\u201d and \u201chits the ball hard everywhere,\u201d traits that should play even as he sees more advanced pitching.<\/p>\n

\u201d There are people who think he should be like a top-five guy in the (Red Sox) system already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian Cundall, director of scouting for SoxProspects.com, on Yoeilin Cespedes<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Defensively? That\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess at this point, with Cespedes so early in his development. But the Red Sox presumably will groom him as a shortstop \u2014 his natural position \u2014 before shifting him elsewhere if necessary.<\/p>\n

Cespedes certainly\u00a0looks<\/em>\u00a0like a second baseman, given his size. But organizational need as he reaches the upper minors could factor into his long-term home in the field, as well.<\/p>\n

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Most-likely outcome:<\/strong>\u00a0Regular infielder.<\/p>\n

This is a nearly impossible exercise. There\u2019s so much uncertainty. After all, no one has seen Cespedes in game action in the United States yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is kinda that big wild card, where he\u2019s kinda a mythological figure,\u201d Cundall joked. \u201cEveryone hears about how good this guy is, but no one\u2019s ever actually seen him play. So, we\u2019ll have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, there\u2019s enough information floating around to suggest Cespedes has a good chance of someday reaching the majors \u2014 and then sticking upon arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cCespedes has been compared to a young Howie Kendrick,\u201d MLB Pipeline wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s a lofty comparison, but Cespedes has a chance to be a special prospect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kendrick, once an elite prospect, never quite achieved superstar status in The Show, but he carved out a\u00a0very good 15-year career. The Red Sox would take that outcome in a heartbeat, even though they can dream on more for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust talking to people who have seen him, there\u2019s a lot of confidence that he might be that next guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian Cundall on Yoeilin Cespedes<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Best-case scenario:<\/strong>\u00a0All-Star caliber infielder.<\/p>\n

Again, we\u2019re basically throwing a dart at the board here. A lot can happen over the next several years. But we\u2019re talking about\u00a0best-case scenario<\/em>. If Cespedes refines his raw tools, why can\u2019t he become an impact player?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need guys like that. You\u2019ve got to take some upside risks. You need guys with that ceiling,\u201d Cundall said. \u201cObviously, developing major leaguers is the goal here. But we have seen that the teams that have the best chance to succeed at the major league level can develop homegrown stars. And that\u2019s no easy feat. But when you\u2019re talking about ceiling, he\u2019s a ceiling guy. And you need those guys in the system to balance out the higher-floor or safer options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cespedes told reporters last summer he\u00a0grew up idolizing\u00a0Xander Bogaerts and\u00a0tries to emulate\u00a0the former Red Sox shortstop.<\/p>\n

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SoxProspects ranking:<\/strong>\u00a0No. 10<\/p>\n

Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel are widely considered the Red Sox\u2019s top three position-player prospects. And each could graduate to the majors within the next two to three years.<\/p>\n

After that, perhaps Cespedes will sit near the top of Boston\u2019s prospect rankings while garnering national attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust talking to people who have seen him, there\u2019s a lot of confidence that he might be that next guy,\u201d Cundall said. \u201cIf you were to ask me who\u2019s the guy outside the top like eight or nine who could jump into the top five the quickest, it would probably be him. Because if he shows early on what we think he can show, then he belongs in that top-five group immediately. He\u2019d be right up there with (Miguel) Bleis, (Ceddanne) Rafaela \u2014 that tier \u2014 because as I said, there are people who think he might be a top-100 prospect nationally already, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fenway forecast<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019ll likely be years before Cespedes sniffs the majors. Think 2027 or so. But this still marks a big season for the up-and-comer. We could learn a lot about his career trajectory, which in turn might impact how the Red Sox farm system is viewed \u2014 top to bottom \u2014 across the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember Devers, you would see him in Low-A and just be like, \u2018Oh yeah. This is it. It just sounds different coming off his bat.\u2019 Bogaerts was pretty similar in like Low-A,\u201d Cundall said. \u201cBut I think with a guy like Cespedes, he could easily this year, if he goes out \u2014 let\u2019s say they aggressively assign him to Low-A. Pretty good indicator right there that if they\u2019re jumping a guy from the DSL to Low-A, if he goes out and performs right there, then that\u2019s where it\u2019s like, \u2018OK, game on. It\u2019s time We\u2019re going to springboard this guy up because he\u2019s showing out as a (18-year-old) at Salem, which is not an easy park to hit.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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