Cespedes imports more than just talent to Oakland baseball

“Wait, he went where?!?”

-Everyone, February 13th, 2012

There have been no shortages of impressive debuts and super-hyped appearances during the first month of this baseball season. Bryce Harper made his Nationals debut under a full moon. Yu Darvish got a standing ovation after shutting out the Yankees for 8 1/3 innings. Cincinnati shortstop Zack Cozart has been starting since Opening Day and leads all rookies in hits, despite the debilitating handicap of spelling his name with a “k.”

Tucked all the way in Oakland, another rookie has been both loudly and quietly going about his business as arguably the best player on his team. He’s been loud because it’s hard not to make some noise when one hits five home runs and records 19 RBIs (both tops among rookies) in his first major league month. He’s been quiet because compared to the hype that surrounded Yoenis Cespedes when he first signed with Oakland, it’s as if ESPN has been working out of Connecticut’s quietest library.

The fanfare that accompanied Cespedes from Cuba to Oakland didn’t come by accident. Cespedes was long considered the best player in Cuba, making very strong impressions in both the World Baseball Classic and the world of viral videos. The big surprise came from the fact that Oakland ponied up the four-year, $36 million deal to grab the international superstar. It was an expensive move for a team defined by a book that praised and chronicled their ability to go bargain-hunting. 

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It’s a move that’s paid off. In his first month, Cespedes has hit a line of .253/.341/.494; not yet a Hall of Famer, but he has successfully moved past the first stages of identifying as a bust. His five home runs showcase his power, his 19 RBIs prove he can hit with men on base, his four steals means he has some speed and his not-horrible defense means his team doesn’t have to choose between bats and gloves when Oakland begins inter-league play later this month.

However, “pobody’s nerfect,” and there are certainly holes in Cespedes’ game. He strikes out, probably more than one should. According to FanGraphs, Cespedes has the sixth-highest strikeout rate in the league (25.3 percent, where the league average is 19.3 percent). But even then, he draws excitement to a team that’s truly desperate for any it can get.

ESPN writer Jason Wojciechowski recently penned an article describing the love Cespedes is getting from A’s fans, even when the result may not warrant it.

“Every time a pitcher with a great fastball starts his windup, I lean forward.” writes Wojciechowski. “When Cespedes likes what he sees and triggers his swing, I edge upward, preparing physically and mentally to leave my seat. And when the whoosh comes, the mighty wind of a Cespedes whiff, I’m blown backwards by the force somehow, pushed into the couch as I emit the briefest, softest of ‘ahhhs’.”

Cespedes’ decision to go to Oakland instead of a more high-profile location may be the best decision he and his camp has ever made (narrowly edging out the 20-minute promotional video linked above). The Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Blue Jays and Cubs have all showcased deeper wallets than Oakland ever has, and all were linked as potential frontrunners in the Cespedes sweepstakes. The Miami Marlins made the most sense; a new look, a new stadium (in Little Havana), and a team with a huge influx of cash to throw around. Ozzie Guillen was brought in as manager. Cespedes’ Cuban ties made it seem like a match made in senior citizens heaven.

Instead, Cespedes went west and missed out on Guillen’s hilariously over-hyped words of encouragement to the Castro clan that’s been running Cuba for almost a half-century. It’s hard enough for someone to handle the culture shock that surrounds a move from Cuba to the U.S., made worse by the existence of 24/7 video and the pressure of a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract. Any added scrutiny would be best avoided and thankfully for Cespedes, he mostly missed out on this one. Of course he was asked about it, and the conversation ended with a simple “no comment” from the Cespedes camp.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is a long-time baseball announcer who is currently handling Oakland’s Spanish broadcasts. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this month, he said Cespedes has no plans to enter that part of the conversation.

“When I met [Cespedes], I said, ‘I will not ask you anything political.’” Pi-Gonzalez told the Chronicle. “He said, ‘Even if you did, I won’t talk about it.’ From that indication, he doesn’t want to get involved. He just wants to play ball. He could be idolized in Miami, but the pressure would be humongous.”

Obviously nobody knew Guillen was going to say what he said, but it’s almost a guarantee that if Cespedes was a Marlin instead of an Athletic he would have been barraged with questions from the media about playing for a manager that seemingly just praised the very same dictator he potentially risked his life to flee. It would have been a terrible situation for Cespedes to be a part of as he, by all accounts, is just looking for a place to play baseball, not become the center point of a debate that, frankly, is too complex to be properly debated within the time restraints of a 24-hour “sports news” cycle.

Playing in Oakland, Cespedes has had a very good first month in the big leagues, doing his best to fly under the radar. It doesn’t help that the Oakland Athletics, for lack of a better term, suck ass at offense. In the AL, the A’s are dead last in runs scored (73 going into Tuesday’s games, whereas the lowest total in the AL East is Baltimore’s 96), hits, batting average (by a full 30 points!), OBP and slugging percentage. The 26-year-old is the lone bright spot in the middle of a dim Oakland stage.

Cespedes made the right choice in declining instant-fame for a much calmer environment, even if nobody realized it until after Ozzie Guillen opened his mouth. While Darvish and Harper sit on top of the headlines, Cespedes will be able to quietly work to improve his craft and not worry about questions that have nothing to do with using a bat to hit a ball. For fans of the sport, and specifically its Oakland chapter, it couldn’t have turned out much better.

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