The Chicago White Sox are blessed with a lot of talent in both the major and minor leagues. This team is filled with some of the best hitting talent in baseball.
Unfortunately, they cannot have all of these great hitters up in the majors at the same time because of roster constraints. There will be some very difficult decisions that will have to be made in order to get the best lineup on the field for the season.
One of the tougher decisions that the White Sox will have to make will come when they have to decide what to do with Yoelqui Cespedes. Cespedes has had a strong spring training so far and has shown a lot of promise. Should he be elevated to the major league level and play with the Sox?
To start, through the first four games of the season, Cespedes has been up to bat ten times and had four hits, and has batted in three runs. Two of his four hits have been home runs. Although it may not matter so much so early in spring training, or in spring training at all, his slash line is .400/.400/1.000.
Cespedes hails from Cuba. While he was playing in the Canadian-American Association League, Cespedes decided to defect from his home country in 2019.
Yoelqui is the younger brother of Yoenis Cespedes. The elder Cespedes is currently a free agent (he last played baseball in 2020 with the New York Mets). Yoelqui has baseball ability in his genes. He just needs to develop a little bit more to prepare himself for major league action.
The Chicago White Sox has a very special player in Yoelqui Cespedes.
The 24-year-old outfield throws right and bats right. He has added some bulk which has helped him with his power when hitting the ball. Looking closer at how he plays, Cespedes has great bat speed and can hit the ball far when he’s on target.
Sometimes, his aggressive play at the plate gets the better of him but if he remains calm and concentrates on what’s going on in front of him, he is able to hit the ball effectively and often.
He has played some center field in spring training this summer but lacks the overall speed to cover a large area in a short amount of time (like center fielders need to do). Therefore, will likely be relegated to right field.
It’s the right field position where the Sox are hurting a little bit coming into the season and if Cespedes was to show his value there, the Sox could consider him as a backup for that position. He has to shine more in spring training and continue to build and grow in order for that to happen.
Cespedes needs to have at least one more year in the minor leagues in order to get himself ready for a future in the bigs. He has the skill and ability but he just needs the refinement.
He’s likely to remain in the minors another year before getting a chance to play in a major league game.
Cespedes is just one of many talented players that the White Sox have in their system. They are loaded at the major league level and still have some studs at the minor league level. The Sox should be a great team for several seasons to come.