Alfredo Despaigne
From BR Bullpen
Alfredo Despaigne Rodríguez (Triturador)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 172 lb.
- Born June 17, 1986 in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba Cuba
Center fielder Alfredo Despaigne is one of the brightest young stars in Cuban baseball.
In the 2004 World Junior Championship, Despaigne hit cleanup for the Cuban team that won Gold. He batted .263/.400/.526 with 8 runs in six games and tied for the tourney lead with one home run (7 players each hit one in the event). He scored the most runs in the competition, beating out the likes of Justin Upton.
Despaigne debuted in the Cuban leagues in the 2004-2005 Serie Nacional. During the 2006-2007 Serie Nacional, he hit .321/~.394/.539 with 16 homers, 60 runs and 66 RBI for Granma. Despite his small size, the 20-year-old phenom tied Juan Carlos Linares for fifth in the league in homers, four behind leader Alexei Ramírez. He was 5th in total bases (182), tied teammate Yohenis Cespedes for 4th in RBI (six behind leader Jose Julio Ruiz and fifth in slugging, ranking ahead of the much more famous Yulieski Gourriel.
Despaigne joined the Cuban national team for the 2007 World Port Tournament, replacing Giorvis Duvergel in center field. He hit .448/.419/.828 to lead the tournament in average and slugging as Cuba won the tournament; teammate Yosvani Peraza was named MVP. In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Despaigne batted .250/.333/.375 and had three outfield assists in eight games. He was at the center of a conflict in the game with Venezuela when he was plunked by former major leaguer Beiker Graterol. Despaigne started off the Cup 3 for 19 but went 5 for his final 13, including a 3-for-5 game against the Bronze Medalists from Japan in the quarterfinals. In the Gold Medal game, he drove in 2 of Cuba's 3 runs in a loss to the US, singling home Yoandry Urgellés and Eduardo Paret against Brian Duensing. It was his only hit in the game, but he also came up with a big defensive play, throwing out Delwyn Young at home.
Despaigne set a new Cuban Serie Nacional record in 2007-2008, with 58 extra base hits. He hit .364/.474/.714 and finished among the league leaders in runs (78), tied for 5th in hits (117), led in doubles (33), was 4th in home runs (24), 2nd in total bases (232, trailing MVP Alexei Bell), tied for 4th in steals (14 in 20 tries), was 7th in average, second in slugging (.005 behind Bell) and tied for 5th in times hit by pitch (15). He joined Bell and Urgellés on the Serie Nacional All-Star outfield.
Despaigne was Cuba's DH in the 2008 Olympics and hit .382/.400/.765 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI in 9 games. He drove in 3 of Cuba's 4 runs in their win over the Japanese national team. He delivered a 2-run homer off of Chris Reitsma in Cuba's one-run victory over Team Canada. He broke a 2-2 tie in the 8th against the USA with a solo shot against Jeremy Cummings. He was 3 for 5 with 3 RBI against the Dutch national team. Alfredo homered off of Stephen Strasburg in Cuba's 10-2 rout of the USA in the semifinals. Cuba went on to win Silver. In the preliminary rounds, Despaigne tied for 5th in slugging (.667, even with Bryan Engelhardt), led with 11 RBI (one ahead of runner-up Dae-ho Lee) and tied for second with two homers (even with Engelhardt, Chih-Sheng Lin, Nick Weglarz and Mike Saunders), one behind Dae-ho Lee.
Despaigne was a disappointment as Cuba's right fielder in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, hitting .235/.316/.412 with 1 run and 2 RBI in five games; the lone production came on a 2-run homer off Barry Armitage of South Africa. Cuba failed to make the top four for the first time ever in a major baseball competition and failed to make the finals for the first time in a global event since the 1951 Amateur World Series. Despaigne was Cuba's only starting outfielder left off the All-Tournament team as Yohenis Céspedes and Frederich Cepeda were picked.
Despaigne homered in six straight games in the 2008-2009 Serie Nacional, catching fire right after the WBC ended. This tied the Cuban record. On the final day of the season, May 3, Alfredo hit his 32nd homer of the campaign, breaking Alexei Bell's one-year-old record. For the season, Despaigne hit .375/~.473/.681 with 97 RBI and 73 runs. Despaigne tied Giorvis Duvergel for 8th in hits (123), tied Isaac Martínez for 8th in doubles (25), led in total bases (248, 15 ahead of Yulieski Gourriel), was 4th in steals (16), led in RBI (7 ahead of Gourriel), was 6th in average and led in slugging (.046 over Gourriel). He made the All-Star outfield alongside Yoennis Céspedes and Giorvis Duvergel.
Sources:
