Saturday will be an exciting day for Oakland A’s fans.

Their team’s new Cuban outfielder Yoenis Céspedes is set to make his Spring Training debut against the Cincinnati Reds at 20.05 GMT, with the game being covered live on MLB.TV.

Céspedes was one of the most intriguing free agents of the recent offseason. He had starred in the Cuban baseball league and for his national team before defecting to the Dominican Republic last year to follow his dream of playing in the Major Leagues.

Cuban players always fascinate in part because of that journey, whether from a symbolic point of view, a literal point of view or both. Orlando Hernández epitomized this better than any other, fleeing his homeland by crossing shark-infested waters on a little boat before signing for the New York Yankees.

When he made his debut on 3 June 1998, we were given the first chance to see whether the tales of El Duque’s excellence back home amounted to myth or reality. There is always an element of discovery when a prospect starts competing at the Major League level, but with Cuban exports this is increased ten-fold. You just don’t know how good they will be or how easily they will be able to adapt to a completely different culture in North America.  Continue reading →