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La Potencia (the Force), also known as Yoenis Cespedes, is a Cuban MLB outfielder who won the MLB Home Run Derbies in 2013 and 2014. He is one of those baseball players with a young professional career but has distinguished himself in no small measure among his peers and some others who have come before him. Learn more about the Cuban sportsman here.

Yoenis Cespedes Bio

Yoenis was born in Campechuela, in the province of Granma, Cuba, on October 18, 1985, the son of Estela Mailanes (mother) and Cresencio Céspedes (father). He has a sibling, a brother named Yelqui Céspedes. His parents were both athletes, as his mother played softball as a pitcher and represented Cuba at the 2000 Summer Olympics, while his father was a former catcher in the Cuban League. However, he separated from his childhood when he was just one year old.

Yoenis Céspedes got a taste of baseball when his mother sent him to a state school at the age of 10, where he had plenty of time to play the game and learn from other players. He used the time he spent here to grow on the team and soon played in the Cuban Winter League, where he was active for eight seasons and also participated in the 2009 World Baseball Classic before leaving his home country.

There are conflicting reports about who he left Cuba with. According to some online reports, Yoenis Céspedes and six others defected from Cuba on a 23-hour boat trip to the Dominican Republic in 2011, while another report says he defected with his family. Nevertheless, he met baseball agent Edgar Mercedes in Dominica, who helped him obtain a residence permit in Santiago. This allowed him to avoid the MLB draft and he became a free agent.

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In the same year, he moved to the USA to play his only game professionally, which he had played since childhood. After receiving his US residency in 2012, he turned down offers from numerous US baseball teams and signed a $36 million four-year contract with the Oakland Athletics.

With his new team, the stage was set for Yoenis Céspedes to show baseball fans how good he is and that he has not failed. He had an impressive 2012, 13, and part of the 2014 season playing for the Oaklands. However, due to an injury to his wrist, knee, and hamstring, he did not get consistent playing time in the second half of 2014 and soon after was transferred to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes. He was not long for the Red Sox either, as he was traded to the Detroit Tigers along with Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier to the Boston Red Sox could take over Rick Porcello. His stay with the Tigers was only temporary, as he was sold to the New York Mets in 2015.

Yoenis Cespedes Contract and Salary

After Yoenis Céspedes’ impressive performance in his first year with the Mets, he was offered a 3-year contract worth $75 million but resigned on November 3, 2016. However, due to its value to the team, the New York Mets offered him an improved 4-year contract worth $110 million with a non-trade clause, which he accepted on November 30, 2016. Yoenis earns an annual salary of $22.5 million.

Yoenis Céspedes is making a good career, and for all his efforts so far he has the following awards and championships to his credit: 3 times gold medal winner of the Cuban national team (Pan Am Games 2007, International Cup 2010, World University 2010), 2 times Home Run Derby Champion (2013, 2014) and National League Champion (2015). He won All-World Baseball Classic Team (2009), American League Rookie of the Month (Sept. 2012), 2× MLB All-Star (2014, 2016), 2× MLB Player of the Week (July 15, 2012; Sept. 13, 2015), Rawlings Gold Glove Award in left field (2015), Silver Slugger Award in the outfield (2016).

Career Stats

GP
AB
R
H
RBI
BB
SO
HR
Avg
825
3,156
470
863
523
237
727
162
0.273

Houses, Cars, and Net Worth

The star baseball player Yoenis Cespedes has a net worth estimated to $45 million, and there is no question whether he leads a wasteful lifestyle or not. His comfortable lifestyle is reflected in the rides he rides on, just as it would be appropriate for his home.

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Yoenis Cespedes lives in Manhattan during the gaming season, while in the off-season he retreats to his ranch in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He has a collection of exotic sports cars, including an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, two custom Polaris slingshots, a 2016 Ford F-250, a custom Lamborghini Aventador and a custom Jeep Wrangler.

Family, Son, and Girlfriend

Yoenis Cespedes has a son, Yoenis Jr. in Cuba, whom he has not been able to see since he defected from his homeland. He speaks to him only on the phone and has repeatedly tried to bring him to the USA without success. He reportedly met the son’s mother when he was 14 years old and they knew each other for the next 9 years before he left his native country.

The star baseball player has gotten a girlfriend named Sandra Quesada, about whom not much is known except that she is Latino and celebrates her birthday on July 22nd. There is no doubt that her beauty is a force with eyes so enchanting that any man would fall in love with her.

As mentioned earlier, Yoenis has a brother known as Yelqui Céspedes, and it is believed that he lives in Cuba.