30 Astonishing Facts About Yoenis Cespedes We Bet You Never Knew

Yoenis Céspedes, a two-time All-Star, often known by his nickname of La Potencia, is currently playing for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He recently fractured his right ankle on his ranch, following which he will not be able to play in the 2019 season. Here are some facts about the professional baseball player:

1.  Cespedes is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. Nicknamed La Potencia is known for his hitting prowess.
2.  He lives in Manhattan, New York, during the season and has a ranch in Port St. Lucie, Florida during the off-season. He has a son, Yoenis Jr. whom he hasn’t seen since he left Cuba.
3.  He was born Yoenis Cespedes Milanes, on October 18, 1985, in Campechuela, Granma Province, Cuba. He is the son of Estela Milanes, and Cresencio Cespedes.
4.  His father was a Cuban League catcher and his mother was a star softball pitcher for the national team. His parents separated when Cespedes, was one year old and was raised by his mother.
5.  Expectantly he took to baseball at a very young age and his mother was his first coach. She made Cespedes his first bat out of a tree branch and polishing it with glass.
6.  At the age of ten, his talent took him to a state-run school 50 miles from home. Cespedes played eight seasons in the Cuban winter league.
7.  In the 2003-04, season Cespedes made his debut in the Cuban National Series with Granma and averaged .302 in batting, .382 on-base percentages, and .503 in slugging percentage. He was very close to being awarded the Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year Award, but lost out to Frank Montieth.
8.  With an increased performance he hit .351/ .444 / .649 with 23 home runs, 89 runs and 78 RBIs in 88 games in the 2005-06, season. He led the National Series in runs, second in home runs and in total bases.
9.  As part of Cuban National Team, he hit .481/.481/.741 in helping Cuba win the silver medal in the ‘2006 Haarlem Baseball Week’ in Netherlands. He was 1 for 7 with a steal and a run in the ‘2007 Pan-American Games,’ when Cuba won the gold medal.
10.  As a starting center fielder, Cespedes hit .458/.480/1.000 with double, 3 triple, 2 home runs, five runs, and five RBIs in six games in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He led Cuba in slugging and runs apart from being placed second average, OBP, OPS, and in home runs.
11.  In the 2008-09, season he batted .323/.411/.601 with 24 homers and 83 runs in 87 games. He was tied third in home run and fourth in runs in the league and made the All-Star in outfield.
12.  He had a mediocre outing in the 2009 Baseball World Cup as Cuba’s starting center fielder and was replaced as the tournament progressed. However he ended the year 2009-10, season with 87 runs and 22 homers in 87 games to finish overall third in runs scored in the league.
13.  At the 2010 World University Baseball Championship, he went for 11 for 22 with 12 runs, 14 RBIs, two doubles and four homers in six games as Cuba took gold medal defeating Team USA, 4-3 in the finals. He made All-Star in outfield.
14.  Cespedes went 3 for 10 with a double, three runs, four RBIs and a walk as backup in the 2010 Intercontinental Cup. He played as second of three left fielders as Cuba defeated Netherlands 4-1 to take the Gold Medal.
15.  In the 2010-11, season he led the league in runs apart from being tied for the home runs lead and most total bases with 236. He put up a .333/.424/.667 batting line with 89 runs, 33 home runs, 99 RBIs in 90 games and was named in All-Star as a center fielder.
16.  Cespedes defected from Cuba in the summer of 2011. It all started when he hit .458 in six games at the World Baseball Classic in 2009 and was assigned to Cuba’s third team instead of ensuring prominence on the national squad as he fell out of favor by 2011.
17.  The budding baseball star fled Cuba with six others on a 23-hour boat ride and established residency in the Dominican in January 2012 and became a free agent. With a YouTube video ‘The Showcase,’ that showed him swatting home runs, sprinting shirtless and bench-pressing 350 pounds he was approached by Major-League scouts.
18.  On February 13, 2012, Cespedes agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract with the Oakland Athletics and played in the left field position. He made his debut in the Major League on March 28 and went 1 for 3.
19.  In his first season he batted .316 with a .381 OBP in the postseason as Athletics would go on to win the American League West. During the season he hit his first major league home run on March 29, and had hit his first walk-off home run on June 21.
20.  On July 15, 2013, Cespedes hit 32 home runs total including 17 in the first rounds to win the 2013 Home Run Derby. He defeated National League’s Bryce Harper by hitting 9 home runs, with five swings to spare in the final round.
21.  Though Cespedes suffered several injuries throughout the 2013 season, including wrist, hamstring, and knee injuries, he hit .240 for the year with 26 home runs and 80 RBIs.
22.  In 2014, he signed with JayZ’s Rock Nation Sports, a sports agency division of Roc Nation. He is proud exotic car owner and has various car collections from a custom 2016 Ford F-250, 2 custom Polaris Slingshots, a custom Lamborghini Aventador, an Alfa Romeo 8 Competizione and a custom Jeep Wrangler.
23.  In March 2016, while at Mets Spring Training, he had so much fun at the St. Lucie County Fair that he purchased a $7,000 grand champion 270 pound hog raised by a local 4-H member.
24.  On July 14, 2014, Cespedes won the Home Run Derby for a second time, becoming the first player to win consecutive Home Run Derby title since 1999 by Ken Griffey. He went on to play in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game.
25.  On July 31, 2014, Cespedes was traded to the Boston Red Sox and went on to represent in 51 games while batting .269 with 5 home-runs and 33 RBIs. Overall in 2014 he had 22 home-runs with 100 RBIs, and batted .260.
26.  On December 11, 2014, the Red Sox traded Cespedes to the Detroit Tigers. He had 9 assists, 11 defensive run saved and a 15 ultimate zone rating in 99 games for the Tigers. He won the American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award in left field, to become the second mid-season winner.
27.  For the third time within a year he was traded, this time to the New York Mets on July 31, 2015. In 41 games with Mets, Cespedes posted a .309 batting average, 17 hone-runs, 42 RBIs, and a .691 slugging percentage.
28.  On August 21, 2015, Cespedes went 5 for 6 against the Colorado Rockies, hitting 3 home-runs in a game for the first time to finish a triple shy of the cycle. It was ranked the best offensive game of the season by ESPN.com.
29.  After he was named to the National League roster for the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Petco Park, he to withdraw a week later due to injury and was put on disabled list.
30.  Late in 2018, he underwent surgery on both his heels to remove calcification and bone spurs. He began his baseball activities in February and is expected to be fully fit by July or August 2019.
31.  Yoenis Cespedes Net Worth: $60 Million