White Sox agree to terms with top international prospect Yoelqui Cespedes on deal that includes $2.05 million signing bonus

CHICAGO — Yoelqui Cespedes followed Chicago White Sox players Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada while he was in Cuba.

He also had the chance to play against Luis Robert.

“I saw that they have a very good group of Cuban players,” Cespedes said of the Sox through an interpreter Friday during a conference call. “And I think that made easier my decision to sign with this organization.”

The Sox and the highly touted international prospect came to terms on a deal that includes a $2.05 million signing bonus, the team announced Friday.

The 23-year-old outfielder is the No. 1-ranked international prospect, according to MLB.com.

“The tool set is there,” said Marco Paddy, the Sox’s special assistant to the general manager for international operations. “He can run, he can throw, very good, disciplined hitter with a good feel for the strike zone, and he’s shown tremendous power to all sides of the field. We’re getting a guy that has the potential to have five tools in the major leagues and we’re very excited about it.”

Paddy said Cespedes is a natural center fielder with the ability to play all three outfield positions. Cespedes is the younger half-brother of major-league outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

“He’s been a very big help for me because he has already passed through these problems,” Yoelqui said of Yoenis. “He knows what I’m going to face. The main advice he gave me is to work hard every day and work every day. You’re going to have good days and bad days but you have to keep working. You can’t rest, you can’t quit, you just need to keep working and working hard. That’s what I’ve been doing.

“I ask him a lot of questions, and he has responded to them all and has definitely been a good help.”

Cespedes played four seasons (2015-19) for Granma in the Cuban Serie Nacional (Cuban National Series), the country’s top-level league. He slashed .287/.351/.415 with 35 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs, 98 RBIs, 114 runs and 14 stolen bases in 226 games with Granma.

Cespedes played with the Cuban National Team in the Caribbean Series (2016-2018), World Baseball Classic (2017) and Canadian-American Association (2017, ’19), a professional, independent league in the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada.

Paddy said Cespedes has been working out in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Cespedes said he has been sharpening his defense, pitch recognition and baserunning.

“My original goal was just to sign,” Cespedes said. “Now that I’ve signed with the White Sox organization my goal is to play every day and be free of injury. If I can do that, I can show what I can do. And if I do, I can move up pretty quickly in the organization.

“I’m a person who sets high expectations for myself, and every time I reach one I put another one there.”

Cespedes didn’t want to put a timetable on when he thinks he’ll be ready for the majors.

Last season, the Sox had a lineup that included Cuban-born players Abreu, Robert, Moncada and Yasmani Grandal. Abreu won the 2020 American League MVP award, while Robert won an AL Gold Glove award and finished second in rookie of the year voting.

“The success that these players have had with us in the past and are currently having with us, it helps,” Paddy said. “Every Cuban player in the market can see how well Jose and Moncada and now Luis have adjusted to our system and they like the city and the organization. It helps tremendously. So they’re excited to hopefully get an opportunity to be part of this organization.”

Cespedes was the Sox’s only announced deal on the first day of the international signing period. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported the Sox also signed pitcher Norge Vera, who is ranked the No. 15 international prospect.

Paddy is excited with how the class potentially could shake out.

“This class we think has got a chance to be as good as any other class that we’ve had,” he said. “When you have a potential chance to sign two Cuban players with high ceilings and ability and then combined with the younger kids from Venezuelan and the Dominican and other Latin American countries, it’s a good combination.

“We have a chance to have a very good, strong class that we’re going to be talking about for quite some time.”