Fansided

Cuban slugger Alfredo Despaigne signs In Japan

By Jake Misener

Jul 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Baseball sits on the pitchers mound before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 8, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Baseball sits on the pitchers mound before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to a report from Japanese media outlet Sanspo, Cuban slugger Alfredo Despaigne has signed to play in Japan, signing a deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

For those of you who don’t read or speak Japanese, Ben Badler of Baseball America weighed in on the move this morning, as well.

"Built like a fire hydrant, Despaigne has a Kirby Puckett body type at 5-foot-8, 215 pounds. His raw power—an 80 on the 20-80 scale—ranks among the best on the planet, with the ability to hit balls nearly 500 feet in batting practice. He has more raw power and better bat speed than White Sox Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu, though Abreu has a more balanced swing and approach than Despaigne, who’s known for his aggressive style and all-or-nothing hacks. That approach could cut into his OBP when he faces better pitching than he’s used to seeing in Cuba, but he’s consistently been one of the top performers in country, with a true elite tool in his power."

Badler points out that Despaigne playing in Japan was contingent on his return to Cuba when the Japanese season finishes and the Serie Nacional season begins. The move to Japan follows Despaigne’s ban from the Mexican League after he was found to be using a fake Dominican passport.

The 28-year-old Cuban has won the MVP of the Serie Nacional in Cuba three times, including his single-season home run record-setting season of 2008-09, when he clubbed 32 home runs. The record was broken in 2011 by two-now MLB players, Jose Dariel Abreu and Yoenis Cespedes, but Despaigne bounced back to hit 36 in the 2011-12 campaign.

Regarding his future in Major League Baseball, MLB Trade Rumors offered this bit of information:

"It’s not known whether or not we will ever see Despaigne in Major League Baseball, but MLB did inform Badler last month that Despaigne’s lifetime ban from the Mexican League won’t have any bearing on his potential free agent stock; MLB does not have an agreement to honor any suspensions from the Mexican League."

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