Yoenis Cespedes won’t be the only member of his family to have plenty of eyes on him this spring.
His 19-year-old brother, Yoelquis, is slated to play for Cuba in the Caribbean Series, which begins on Wednesday in Mexico. Several scouts believe it’s the first time the younger Cespedes will play outside of Cuba, so he hasn’t been seen by many.
And he has yet to release a YouTube video, like Yoenis famously did in 2011. The footage of the Mets slugger working out, hitting homers and roasting a pig over an open fire became the stuff of legend.
But those who have talked to others who have watched Yoelquis play — or even seen clips of him playing and wearing the same No. 51 right in Cuba — are excited by what he has to offer.
“It’s hard to tell much from what I’ve been able to see, but he looks like a younger version of Yoenis,” one NL scout said.
He’s spent the last two seasons with Granma, the same team Yoenis played for before he defected and signed with the A’s. The Cuban team in the Caribbean Series is made up largely of Cespedes’ Granma teammates, since Cuban players in the majors don’t play for their native country.
Listed at 6-1 and 195 pounds, Yoequis features a strong outfield arm (sound familiar?).
But caution should be used in comparing the two. In 90 games last season, Yoelquis hit .297 with six homers and 45 RBIs. At the same age, Yoenis hit .351 with 23 homers in 88 games for Granma. He continued to dominate the Cuban National League until joining Oakland in 2012.
Still, Yoelquis has scouts intrigued, as he could also be a part of Cuba’s roster in the WBC in March — which would place him even more in the spotlight.
“I’m interested in getting a look,” an American League scout said. “Hopefully he’s like his brother.”