The Rise of Yoenis Cespedes

September 20, 2015

Yoenis Cespedes was traded to the New York Mets on July 31st without much of a big to-do. The Mets were a pitching-rich team with an empty coffer of offense, so General Manager Sandy Alderson went out hunting for some weaponry. Alderson traded for Cespedes for a couple of minor league pitchers, and the payoff has been trifold. Cespedes was put on the big stage in New York, and he has reached a new level of performance.

Before the trade, the New York Met offense was scuffling to score runs for the solid staff of hurlers. The Mets were ranked dead last in hitting in the National League before the trade. The Mets are creeping up on average and have gotten better in all offensive categories. When Cespedes was in Detroit, he hit .293, with 18 home runs and 61 RBI’s. Since coming over in 43 games, he has hit 17 home runs with 42 RBI's while maintaining a .292 batting average. He and the acquisitions of Juan Uribe (Mr. Playoffs) and Kelly Johnson, along with the resurgence of Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy and the steadiness of Curtis Granderson, have helped keep the Mets scoring runs.

Cespedes has played for four teams in one and a half years, and it leaves you wondering what is going with this guy. Is he a malcontent? Not the case. Cespedes has been used as a chess piece because he does have value, and when he has been traded, it has because of the need for pitching.  He also plays outfield, the most expendable position in baseball. Some may say he doesn't put up over-the-top numbers. In particular, his On-Base Percentage is below average. Boston was able to land him by trading away John Lester to the Oakland A's, from whom he was going into a free agency situation.

Boston traded him to Detroit for pitcher Rick Porcello in the off-season, and Detroit traded to obtain New York's top pitching prospect. As you can see, pitchers and salary dumps are the pieces that drive 80% of all trades in MLB.

Cespedes may be reaching new heights in his career, which may be due to his pending free agency in 2016. Teams will come knocking, and Cespedes will be cashing in on his rise to stardom. If he wins the MVP, those contract numbers will be turning upward. I have always liked his game. Most fans forget about his defensive skills, which are above average, especially his arm. I believe the Mets will stay as hot as Cespedes because he is the one guy in that Met lineup who has been consistent. Salute Yoenis Cespedes!