Céspedes working his way back to elite status

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Yoelqui Céspedes arrived with the White Sox in 2021 as the No. 1 international prospect in his class, holding a lofty dream of making the Major Leagues that very season.

Two years later, the 25-year-old seems a little further removed from his big league goal, but he’s certainly not a forgotten man within the organization.

• Colombia 5, White Sox 4

“Really, we like the defense. We like the outfield arm. We like the baserunning and he certainly has some power, and he’s shown that,” said White Sox assistant general manager for player development Chris Getz. “Now in regards to the impact that he’s going to bring at the Major League level, it’s really going to come down to the consistency of the bat.

“He’s certainly working on some things right now just to deliver the barrel on a consistent basis on fastballs. He’s shown glimpses of being able to do it. That’s really going to dictate his value as a Major League player.”

Battling right quad soreness, Céspedes has taken only one at-bat so far this spring, a strikeout. So when manager Pedro Grifol was asked recently what he thought of Céspedes, he couldn’t provide a detailed response.

Over 119 games and 458 at-bats for Double-A Birmingham in ‘22, Céspedes batted .258/.332/.437 with 17 home runs, 29 doubles, 33 stolen bases, 65 runs scored and 59 RBIs. Those numbers clearly constituted a solid season, but in Céspedes’ mind, they weren’t good enough.

“To me, it was a bad season. I would qualify it as a bad season,” Céspedes told MLB.com during a recent interview, through interpreter Billy Russo. “Even though when you see the stats aren’t bad, but it wasn’t as good of a season as I was expecting.

“I was unable to reach the goals I put for the season. That’s why. Again, the numbers are probably OK, but those aren’t the numbers I put on my mind before the season started.”

What are Céspedes’ goals for the upcoming campaign? First, he would like to get fully healthy; he’s approaching that goal every day. He’s also focused on hitting .300 or better. He hasn’t set his other goals yet, but he has some areas in mind. After striking out 154 times against only 29 walks with the Barons, Céspedes set out to improve that part of his game during the offseason.

“Last year, I was a little bit anxious at home plate, and that was one of the reasons I didn’t have the season that I wanted to have,” Céspedes said. “It wasn’t a bad season but it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. I put my focus on that to improve, try to put in my mind to be calm and just look for a pitch.”

“You want players that never feel satisfied and always are striving to get better,” Getz said. “You can look at the production that he had and say that was a pretty good year, but underneath it all he was frustrated because he felt like he could do a better job. So, yeah, I’m impressed that he feels that way, and I know he’s been working hard.”

MLB Pipeline ranks Céspedes as Chicago’s No. 13 prospect, after he debuted at No. 6 and rose as high as No. 4. Oscar Colas, who sits at No. 2, has jumped Céspedes and figures to be the team’s starting right fielder on Opening Day in Houston.

There’s some inherent pressure on Céspedes after signing for $2.05 million, not to mention carrying the same last name as his accomplished half-brother, Yoenis. But neither that pressure nor what he considered a down season have dampened his Major League goals.

“Look at what he can provide on the defensive side,” Getz said. “He has instincts for the game, and we see the ability with the bat and we see the potential power with the bat … It’s us all working together to find a way to get more consistency for offensive production. But we still feel like he’s going to be able to accomplish that.”

“If you truly believe in something, then you have to work for it,” Céspedes said. “I couldn’t make it [to the Majors] last year, but that’s my goal for this year.”