Intrigue surrounds Cuban baseball players Despaigne and Garcia

AJAX, Ont. – Four years ago in Guadalajara, Mexico a 24-year-old Cuban first baseman turned heads at the Pan Am Games baseball tournament. He hit .524/.561/1.048 with three home runs and nine runs-batted in in five games.

His name was Jose Abreu. Three years later he was the American League rookie of the year, an All-Star, and MVP candidate after an impressive debut season with the Chicago White Sox. He also earned himself a six-year, $68 million contract.

Is there another Jose Abreu on the Cuban team in Toronto this week? Maybe not quite Abreu-level talent, but left fielder Alfredo Despaigne is considered by many to be the best baseball player not playing in Major League Baseball. He’s a power hitter who has mashed 23 homers in just 89 games in the Japanese league over the last two years, and hit 233 more home runs across the Cuban and Mexican leagues. In 2012 he set the single-season home run record in Cuba.

Despaigne draws immediate comparisons to Abreu himself.

“He’s basically Little Jose Abreu,” said Team Canada pitcher Shawn Hill, a former major-league pitcher. “He’s got serious power, he’s just a little bit smaller stature, very good hitter.”

Despagine showed off that power on Tuesday in a 3-1 loss to Canada. He led off the seventh inning with a home run to the opposite field off Andrew Albers. “You just can’t make a mistake against him,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said. “If you make a mistake he’s going to make you pay for it. He’s got power to all fields.”

But while his talent is undeniable, his window to become a major-league star is closing ever so slightly. He’s 29 years old already, a veteran of 12 professional seasons in Cuba, Mexico, and Japan. Most Cuban players make the move to the United States in their early 20’s. Plus, Despagine has never shown much of a desire to play in the U.S.

On top of all that, Hill isn’t convinced Despaigne is ready to step into a big-league lineup and star.

“Potentially, yes. Currently, no,” Hill said after retiring Despaigne three times on Tuesday. “I saw him and instantly exposed a hole. I think he could make that adjustment, he’s a good enough hitter. But as of today I’d say he’s not ready.”

If Despaigne’s star is fading slightly, his teammate Jose Garcia may be the next closest thing to the “next” Abreu. The 22-year-old outfielder is a five-tool player who is all over Cuban league leaderboards in 2015. He was tied for sixth in home runs, tied for seventh in RBIs, and tied for fourth in stolen bases while slashing .321/.365/.485. His brother, Adonis, defected in 2011 and just made his major-league debut with the Braves in May. Garcia has been ranked as high as sixth on lists of top Cuban prospects, and unlike Despaigne, is likely to try to cash in before he turns 23 and is still eligible for international bonus pool money.

There’s always intrigue around Cuban baseball. Recently the likes of Abreu, Yasiel Puig, and Aroldis Chapman have become superstars in the majors after making their way to America. Last offseason two more big names signed major-league deals, Yasmani Tomas with the Diamondbacks, and Yoan Moncada with the Red Sox.

As U.S.-Cuba relations improve after 50-plus years of severed ties, many are eager to see the impact on baseball. Players like Despaigne and Garcia might be the next Cuban stars to make the jump to the majors, but others are already making their move.

When the Cuban team arrived in North America for a series of warmup games ahead of the Pan Ams, two players – Yadiel Hernandez and Luis Yander La O – defected almost immediately and left the team. As many as six of the top 20-ranked Cuban players have left country since April. If nothing else, that’s affecting Cuba’s play at the Pan Am Games. After four games they are 2-2, with losses to Canada and U.S., with two preliminary-round games to go.

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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at denomme@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter.