The tropical depression sweeping up the coast postponed games for the White Sox's top three affiliates, which will delay Yoelqui Céspedes' Double-A debut by a day. The White Sox promoted him from Winston-Salem on Tuesday.
When Céspedes first landed with the Sox, Birmingham was supposed to be his rumored starting point, he ended up in Winston-Salem after a combination of visa issues and a shoulder issue kept him out forbut the combination of a visa delay and a shoulder issue kept him out of action until mid-June.
It seems like he benefited from the lower bar, as he was able to get up to speed on both sides of the ball. At the plate, he hit .278/.355/.494 over 45 games with the Dash, and .330/.407/.530 over his last 26 games. That's around the time the White Sox let him back in the outfield, where he's been playing center field most of the time.
Ben Spanier at Baseball Prospectus offered an evaluation of Céspedes at this stage in his career, and it's largely favorable.
Listed at 5-foot-9 and just over 200 pounds, the 23-year-old Céspedes is very solidly built, with strength visible throughout but especially in the upper body. Despite the stocky—muscular, but stocky—frame, he is a plus runner who plays a very nice center field. Yoelqui consistently gets good jumps and runs smooth routes, though the arm is more above-average than plus. Obviously it’s the bat that will determine whether Céspedes is an everyday big leaguer, and despite the very encouraging signs that have been emerging of late there are still a few lingering doubts for me. The raw power is huge; there is above-average bat speed along with the strength, creating a beautifully explosive swing from a quiet setup. When Céspedes zones a pitch and crushes it, the results are loud as well as aesthetically pleasing. The concern is when he is faced with pitches carrying a higher degree of difficulty. Early on he wasn’t getting around on fastballs located up with above-average velocity, but the recent hot streak has alleviated some of those concerns for me. The main issue is that the swing is geared for certain pitches in certain locations and he doesn’t always seem keen to adjust, so he can look stiff at times on well-executed breaking stuff down and away. He has, however, shown the ability to lace balls the other way when so inclined. So, the divisive hit tool for now remains divisive.
Down East 5, Kannapolis 1
- James Beard went 1-for-3 with a homer, walk and strikeout.
- Bryan Ramos went 0-for-4 with a K.
- Harvin Mendoza and Misael Gonzalez both were 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Chase Krogman went 1-for-3 with a double, walk and strikeout.
- Wilber Sanchez singled and struck out thrice.
- Jared Kelley's control problems were compounded by bad defense: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 16 of 32 pitches for strikes.
ACL White Sox 6, ACL Reds 0
- Logan Glass struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance.
- Wilfred Veras wore the collar and silver sombrero.
- Wes Kath went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Jefferson Mendoza, 0-for-3 with a strikeout and an HBP.
- Benyamin Bailey walked thrice and struck out once.
- Brooks Gosswein: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
DSL White Sox 6, DSL Orioles1 5
- Manuel Guriman went 2-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Carlos Jimenez hit his first pro homer during a 1-for-4 day.
- Randel Mondesi was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Victor Quezada singled and walked thrice.
- Carlos Hinestroza: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
