Cespedes Impresses With Grand Slam, Two-Run Homer Against White Sox
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Playing for the Detroit Tigers, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes bats sixth behind Miguel Cabrera, two-time MVP and Triple Crown winner; Victor Martinez, the best hitter in baseball in 2014 and a perennial All-Star; and J.D. Martinez, whose power Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has repeatedly compared with that of Cabrera.
This weekend, Cespedes gave an offensive performance even his expert teammates would be hard-pressed to match. He launched a grand slam in the first inning Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, and he added a two-run home run in the third inning. His six runs batted in were a career high, and the Tigers won, 9-1.
"Putting six runs on the board between the two of them, that helps quite a bit in any ball game," Ausmus said. "I think he's the type of guy, and I don't know him as a player that well yet because we're only in April, but he seems like the type of guy that when he gets hot he probably hits them in bunches."
The rest of the Tigers are not surprised by the performance of Cespedes, who has a batting average of .300 and three home runs and 10 runs batted in, but they have been impressed.
"It's kind of a tough act to follow, I tell you what," said third baseman Nick Castellanos, who bats after Cespedes in the lineup. "You've got to dig in after he hits a granny and then hits one over everything. It was a lot of fun to watch, and he's that type of player. If you touch him, he's all muscle. It's ridiculous how strong that guy is."
On another team, Cespedes would be in a much more prominent spot in the lineup, Martinez asserted.
"He's a three, four hitter on any other team in the big leagues," Martinez said. "When you have a guy like him, that makes you feel pretty good about your offense. He's been doing it for a little bit, so there's no secret about it.
"There's no secret about it," Martinez repeated later. "The guy's just an athlete all around. He's a ball player that everybody in the big leagues wish to have in their lineup."
