Alfredo Despaigne

Alfredo Despaigne Rodriguez (born June 17, 1986) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Chiba Lotte Marines and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Despaigne and the second or maternal family name is Rodriguez.
Alfredo Despaigne
Despaigne with the SoftBank Hawks in 2017
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – No. 54
Outfielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1986-06-17) June 17, 1986
Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
NPB debut
July, 29, 2014, for the Chiba Lotte Marines
NPB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.262
Home runs160
RBI464
Hits637
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Cuba
Summer Olympics
2008 Beijing National team
Baseball World Cup
2007 Taipei National team
2009 Nettuno National team
Intercontinental Cup
2010 Taichung National team
Pan American Games
2011 Guadalajara National team
2015 Toronto National team
Central American and Caribbean Games
2014 Veracruz Team

In Cuba, he is known as "El Inmenso Despaigne" (the Immense Despaigne) and "El Caballo de los Caballos" (The Stallion of the Stallions).[1]

Career

In 2009, Despaigne had one of the most dominating seasons in Cuban baseball history, breaking the Cuban Home Run record while hitting .373 with 97 RBIs.[2] Following the season, he was named MVP of the National Series. Despaigne was again excellent in 2010,[3] ranking among the best hitters in various statistical categories.[4] In 2012, he set a new Cuban league regular-season home run record, with 35.[5]

Chiba Lotte Marines

On July 15, 2014, he signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).[6] Despaigne appeared in 45 games, hitting .311, with 12 home runs and 33 runs batted in. After the season, on December 8, the Marines signed him[7] to a two-year contract.[8][9]

In 2015 season, Despaigne finished the regular season in 103 games with a batting average of .258, 18 home runs and a RBI of 62.

In 2016 season, Despaigne finished the regular season in 134 games with a batting average of .280, 24 home runs and a RBI of 92. On December 20, 2016, it was announced that team did not make a contract[10] and next day he became free agent in NPB.[11]

In 2017, Despaigne played a key role in Granma's win of the Cuban National Series.[12]

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

On February 11, 2017, Despaigne signed with Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the NPB.[13] In 2017 season, Despaigne finished the regular season in 136 games with a batting average of .262, 35 home runs and a RBI of 103. And he was honored for the Pacific League home run leader, the Pacific League RBI leader, and the Pacific League Best Nine Award at the NPB AWARDS 2017. [14]

In 2018 season, Despaigne finished the regular season in 116 games with a batting average of .238, 29 home runs and a RBI of 74. And he was selected 2018 NPB All-Star game.[15]

In 2019 season, Despaigne finished the regular season in 130 games with a batting average of .259, 36 home runs and a RBI of 88. And he was honored for the Japan Series Outstanding Player Award at the 2019 Japan Series. [16] On December 2, 2019, he become free agent.[17]

On January 22, 2020, Despaigne signed a new two-year contract with Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.[18] However, due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to leave Cuba and was able to come to Japan on July 19.[19] In 2020 season, Despaigne finished the regular season in 25 games with a batting average of .224, 6 home runs and a RBI of 12.　In the 2020 Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants, he contributed to the team's fourth consecutive Japan Series champion by scoring 6 RBIs per game in the Japan Series equal to the current record, including a grand slam in Game 2 on November 22.[20]

International career

Despaigne posted an impressive season in 2007, afterwards earning a key role on Cuba's National Team.[2] He was selected the 2004 World Junior Baseball Championship, 2007 World Port Tournament, 2007 Baseball World Cup, 2008 Summer Olympics, 2009 World Baseball Classic, 2010 World University Baseball Championship,[21] 2010 Intercontinental Cup, 2011 Pan American Games, 2012 exhibition games against Chinese Taipei and CPBL All-Stars,[22] 2012 exhibition games against Japan,[23] 2013 World Baseball Classic, 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, 2015 Pan American Games,[24] 2015 WBSC Premier12[25] and 2017 World Baseball Classic.[26]

He was named the Best Hitter at the 2007 World Port Tournament, and was also a part of the Cuban team which won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Despaigne won with his national team the gold medal of the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.[27][28][29]

References
  1. Alfredo Despaigne - EcuRed
  2. Alfredo Despaigne - BR Bullpen
  3. Continued Slugging Rampage of Alfredo Despaigne | Bjarkman's Latino and Cuban League Baseball History Page
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Top Cuban OF Alfredo Despaigne in Mexico with false passport
  6. "アルフレド・デスパイネ・ロドリゲス選手の獲得について". 千葉ロッテマリーンズ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). July 15, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  7. "来季契約について". 千葉ロッテマリーンズ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). December 8, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  8. "Cuban outfielder Despaigne re-signs with Chiba Lotte". ESPN.com. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  9. 2014年9月23日 ヒーローインタビュー(石川、デスパイネ) - YouTube
  10. "デスパイネ選手の退団について". 千葉ロッテマリーンズ オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). December 20, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  11. "自由契約選手". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). December 21, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  12. 2017 Cuban Finals: Despaigne with the Game Winner for Granma. Horses lead the series 1-0 | BaseballdeCuba
  13. "アルフレド・デスパイネ選手入団のお知らせ". 福岡ソフトバンクホークス オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). February 11, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  14. "Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese) 2017年度 表彰選手(パシフィック・リーグ)". NPB.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  15. "マイナビオールスターゲーム2018 選手間投票結果". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). July 3, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  16. "Nippon Professional Baseball (Japanese) SMBC日本シリーズ2019 表彰選手". NPB.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  17. "2019年度 自由契約選手". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  18. "Nikkan Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトバンクがデスパイネとグラシアルと契約更新". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). January 23, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  19. "full-count.jp Baseball news (Japanese) 鷹、デスパイネとグラシアルの来日を発表　出入国時のPCR検査は共に陰性". full-count.jp (in Japanese). July 20, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  20. "Sankei Sports baseball news (Japanese) ソフトB・デスパイネがシリーズタイ記録　満塁弾など1試合6打点". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). November 22, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  21. "参加チーム キューバ 登録メンバー". パナソニック第5回世界大学野球選手権大会 - 全日本大学野球連盟 (in Japanese). Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  22. "Cuban Offensive Explosion wraps up Thunder Series Action". WBSC. November 14, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  23. "侍ジャパンマッチ2012「日本代表 VS キューバ代表」キューバ代表メンバー". NPB.jp 日本野球機構 (in Japanese). November 15, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  24. "ロッテ・デスパイネ、パンアメリカン大会出場で離日". 日刊スポーツ (in Japanese). 2015-07-08. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  25. "World No. 3 Cuba aiming for WBSC Premier12 crown". WBSC. October 26, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  26. Daniel Kramer (February 8, 2017). "Cuba's Classic roster replete with young talent". MLB.com. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  27. "Hockey de RD da salto cualitativo". El Nacional (in Spanish). 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  28. "Veracruz 2014: Cuba, campeón del béisbol centroamericano". Cubasi.cu (in Spanish). 2014-11-22. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  29. "Cuba gana medalla de oro en béisbol". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). Veracruz, Mexico. EFE. 2014-11-22. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
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