By Yasel Porto
In addition to his talent, former Granma-born outfielder Yoenis Céspedes has transcended by a complex character, which possibly contributed to the fact that his farewell to the Major Leagues was not in the best possible way. But with the mistakes or flaws that are part of the life of human beings without exception, there is also a positive side that in the case of “La Potencia” has dimensions as large as many of the hits or throws that transcended the most.
While many believe that he is one of those millionaires in and out of the sport who only think about himself, reality is completely different. Although Céspedes has an opulent life that he reached at a clean sacrifice, his most recent actions with the people of his homeland are something worthy of recognition and even admiration. Because it is clear that who can do something, can do it, but there are not so many people like him who do what he did in his native Campechuela.
I clarify that the article is not intended to sanctify him or because he needs the promotion for these acts, but because I think they are facts that are worth not going unnoticed. Especially when it is about someone who is criticized by many people for much of his sports life and almost all of his personal life.
There are several people who have approached me through the internet to give me details of Yoenis’s actions in his recent trips to his homeland, in which besides buying a farm as he did in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, he has helped a large number of people economically .
But in addition to that, there was his gesture of contributing to the repair of some affected public spaces and even the firm desire to fix the Estadio 26 de Diciembre where he was trained as a baseball player. On one occasion he filled a bus with gifts to distribute in Licea, a constituency belonging to Campechuela.
Unfortunately, many of the intentions of the two-time winner of the All-Star Game Home Run Derby remained just that, since there has been institutional reluctance when it comes to assuming out of pocket the repair or construction of certain more collective works.
Campechuela is a municipality with an enormous baseball tradition and several of the most important baseball players of Granma province have come from there. In addition to Céspedes, the three Bejerano brothers (Pablo, Víctor and Santiago Valerio) can be highlighted in the group.
In the case of the protagonist of this article, he is the only player from Granma who has reached the major leagues in this century. He played there between 2012 and 2020 with the Oakland A’s, the Detroit Tigers, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Mets.
It is clear that there were many merits of “La Potencia” in the sports context, but that is in a past that with the dynamics of life and several other factors, is increasingly ignored. But these types of social events are never forgotten and acquire a greater transcendence because life is much more important than sports.
Some people on both sides of the Strait of Florida will criticize him, but perhaps the majority will applaud his voluntary humanism, and from now on will think a little bit more when judging Yoenis Cespedes as a person rather than as a baseball player.
