Yoenis Cespedes

Céspedes was born in the small town of Campechuela, in Granma Province, Cuba. Céspedes is the son of Estela Milanés, a softball pitcher who appeared in the 2000 Summer Olympics for Cuba, and Cresencio Céspedes, a former Cuban League catcher who separated from Milanés when Yoenis was one year old. At age 10, he was sent by his mother to a state-run school where he could focus on baseball. He played eight seasons in the Cuban Winter League before defecting from Cuba in 2011. In the summer of 2011, Céspedes and six others took a 23-hour speedboat ride departing Cuba and heading for the Dominican Republic. After arriving in the Dominican, he met Dominican agent Edgar Mercedes who established residency for him in Santiago which allowed him to bypass the MLB Draft and become a free-agent.

He batted .313/.403/.540 in the 2004–05 season. In the 2005–06 season, he hit .351/.444/.649 with 23 home runs, 89 runs and 78 runs batted in (RBI) in 88 games played. He tied Yulieski Gurriel for the National Series lead in runs and was four home runs behind Gurriel for the lead, placing second. He tied for seventh in doubles (24), was second in total bases (220, 6 behind Gurriel) and was 4th in slugging. He hit .481/.481/.741 for Cuba in the 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week.

He produced at a .303/.402/.541 rate in the 2006–2007 season with 17 home runs and 79 runs in 89 games. He again led in runs. He was also fifth in doubles (24), tied Yosvani Peraza for third in home runs, was fourth in total bases (184), tied Alfredo Despaigne for 4th in RBI, tied for 4th in steals (15) and was sixth in slugging. He was 1 for 7 with a steal and a run in the 2007 Pan-American Games in his debut for the Cuban national team.

He was the starting center fielder for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He hit .458/.480/1.000 with a double, 3 triples, 2 home runs, five runs and five RBI in six games. He led Cuba in slugging and was second to Frederich Cepeda in average, OBP and OPS. He tied Cepeda and Gurriel for the team lead in runs and tied Gourriel for second in homers, behind Cepeda. He broke a 1–1 tie against Australia with a 6th-inning solo homer off Damian Moss and started a 16–4 romp over Mexico with a leadoff triple against Pablo Ortega. Céspedes tripled off Hisashi Iwakuma in Cuba's last game of the tournament, a 5–0 loss to Japan, but did not score. Earlier in that game, he dropped a fly from Michihiro Ogasawara to let the first two Japanese runs score. Cuba thus missed the final four of an event for the first time ever; the Cuban team had also made the finals of every global baseball competition since 1959.

He went 11 for 22 with 12 runs, 14 RBI, two doubles and four homers in six games at the 2010 World University Baseball Championship. He drove in six against South Korea and five against China. In the gold medal game, he was 0 for 4 with a strikeout as Cuba's fifth batter in a 4–3 win over Team USA. He made the tournament All-Star outfield alongside Mikie Mahtook and Shota Ishimine. He played for Cuba when it finished second in the 2011 Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament. In the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, he was 3 for 10 with a double, three runs, four RBI and a walk as a backup. In the 4–1 win over the Dutch national team in the Gold Medal game, he was the second of three left fielders Cuba used. He replaced Yoandry Urgellés, was retired by Berry van Driel and then replaced by Despaigne.

After Céspedes defected from Cuba in the summer of 2011, he established residency in the U.S. in January 2012, bypassing the MLB draft and becoming an unrestricted free agent. Céspedes was considered a five-tool outfielder going into free agency. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus declared Céspedes "arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation."

After interest from numerous Major League teams, Céspedes agreed to a 4-year, $36 million contract with the Oakland Athletics on February 13, 2012, with the deal becoming official the following month. Céspedes began the 2012 season for the Athletics at his usual position of center field, but was later moved to left field upon the return of veteran center fielder Coco Crisp.

On July 15, 2013, Céspedes won the 2013 Home Run Derby. A last-minute addition by team captain Robinson Canó to represent the American League squad, he hit 32 home runs total in the exhibition, including 17 in the first round. He defeated the National League's Bryce Harper in the final round by hitting 9 home runs, with five swings to spare. He was the first winner of the contest who had not been selected to that year's All-Star game. Céspedes hit .240 for the year and had 26 home runs along with 80 RBI's. Though Céspedes had a great postseason, the A's were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers. Céspedes suffered several injuries throughout the season, including wrist, hamstring, and knee injuries.

On July 1, Céspedes suffered a hamstring injury while running against the Tigers on a RBI hit by Brandon Moss. Céspedes along with 5 other A's players (Josh Donaldson, Derek Norris, Brandon Moss, and pitchers Scott Kazmir and Sean Doolittle) were chosen to play in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Target Field. In the final week of fan voting to select starters for the All Star Game, he was passed by Adam Jones. On July 14, 2014, Céspedes won the Home Run Derby for a second time, becoming the first player to win consecutive Home Run Derby titles since Ken Griffey Jr. accomplished the feat in 1999. Céspedes played in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game where he went 0 for 2.

On July 31, 2014, Céspedes was traded to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Jon Lester and utility player Jonny Gomes.

Céspedes hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox on August 10, 2014, against the Los Angeles Angels, with a 3-run home run. In 51 games with Boston, Céspedes batted .269 with 5 home runs and 33 RBIs. Overall, for the 2014 season, Céspedes had 22 home runs with 100 RBIs, while batting .260.

On December 11, 2014, the Red Sox traded Céspedes along with Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier to the Detroit Tigers for Rick Porcello. Céspedes played his first game with the Tigers during opening day against the Minnesota Twins on April 6, 2015, where he robbed Kurt Suzuki of a home run, leading to a 4–0 victory for the Tigers. Through June 13, Céspedes was hitting .308 with 9 home runs and 33 runs batted in. He was not selected as an All Star but was put in as a player on the All-Star Final Vote. Therefore, he could not compete in the home run derby after winning the two previous years.

In 2014, Céspedes signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports, a sports agency division of Roc Nation. An exotic car owner, Céspedes arrived to 2016 Mets spring training with a variety of custom sports cars on display. His collection includes a custom 2016 Ford F-250, two custom Polaris Slingshots, a custom Lamborghini Aventador, an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, and a custom Jeep Wrangler, all totaling a little under $1 million.

On July 31, 2015, Céspedes was traded to the New York Mets for minor league pitchers Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa. On August 21, Céspedes went 5 for 6 against the Colorado Rockies, hitting 3 home runs in a game for the first time. Céspedes finished a triple shy of the cycle. It was ranked the best offensive game of the season by ESPN.com. In his first 41 games with the Mets, Céspedes exploded, posting a .309 batting average, 17 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a .691 slugging percentage. His offensive explosion helped the Mets jump up to a 9.5 game lead over the Washington Nationals in the National League East as of September 14. Because of his efforts, Céspedes was awarded the NL Player of the Week Award for September 7 to the 13th. He batted .345, hit 4 home runs, scored 6 runs, and drove 12 RBI while posting a 1.263 OPS.

On January 26, 2016, Céspedes re-signed with the Mets on a three-year, $75 million contract, with an opt-out after the first season. On April 26, Céspedes came off the bench against the Cincinnati Reds in the 7th inning and hit a first-pitch pinch-hit three-run homer to tie the game at 3. He had previously sat out the last few games due to a lingering leg injury. The Mets eventually won 4-3. His 466 feet (142 m) home run against the Chicago Cubs on June 30 tied for the longest in Citi Field history.

On July 5, Céspedes was named to the National League roster for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Petco Park, joining teammates Noah Syndergaard, Bartolo Colón, Jeurys Familia and Mets manager Terry Collins, but was later taken off the roster along with Syndergaard due to an injury. In August 2016, Céspedes was criticized for golfing while on the disabled list.

Céspedes opted out of his contract with the Mets on November 3, 2016. The Mets then signed him to a four-year contract worth $110 million, with a no-trade clause on November 30, 2016.

After Spring Training ended, Céspedes spoke confidently about the 2018 Mets, claiming that they were the 'best team he had been around'. On April 18, against the Nationals, Céspedes capped off a nine-run inning for the Mets with a grand slam. Cespedes batted .262 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 38 games in 2018, as his season ended with him undergoing surgery on both heels which would result in him missing 8–10 months.

On May 20, 2019, it was announced that Cespedes fractured his right ankle on his ranch, effectively ending his hopes of playing in 2019. He did, in fact, miss the entire season.