Yoennis Cespedes: Cuban Jesus?

Well, this came out of nowhere. Amid reports that the Red Sox are the frontrunner for Carlos Beltran's services, Yoennis Cespedes has landed on Earth.

Two days ago, Cespedes was on literally no one's radar outside of MLB scouting circles. As reported by Peter Gammons and Kevin Goldstein, the secret's now out, and it's one mythical YouTube video that's got everyone scrambling to find out about this guy.

What we know:
Cespedes is a 26-year-old, "five-tool" outfielder who recently defected from Cuba and is in the process of establishing residency in the Dominican Republic. In the 2010-11 Cuban League season, Cespedes hit .333 with a league-record 33 home runs. He will soon be MLB-approved, making him an eligible free agent for the 2012 season. The Yankees and Blue Jays are in on him, as are the Phillies and several small market clubs (Washington, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Cleveland, Florida). And according to a Gammons source, the Red Sox are sending everyone they've got to the Dominican.

Update: Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox did send representatives to watch Cespedes' workout last week.

Kevin Goldstein has Cespedes getting an Aroldis Chapman deal, which would be in the five years/$30 million neighborhood. However, Gammons has already thrown out an Aaron Rowand special (five years/$60 million). With so many teams expressing interest, this could get very interesting, very quickly.

This frenzy was prompted by a thoroughly unorthodox "scouting video" for Cespedes, sent to over 200 MLB personnel. The video has since been removed from YouTube, but allegedly features Star Wars-style text scrolls, an explicit rap-filled soundtrack, video of Cespedes leg pressing 1,300 pounds (including his two friends perched on top of the weights), and one inexplicable shout out to former Green Bay Packer Ahman Green. The video does include some impressive batting footage, but according to Goldstein, nothing to support the defensive aspect of Cespedes' five-tool billing.

Put him in right field?

As soon as my co-worker came running to me with the news of "El Talento," my immediate question was, "Is he right-handed?" As luck would have it, Cespedes does bat from the right side, which makes him an instant candidate to replace JD Drew as the Red Sox right fielder. The Sox are reportedly pursuing Carlos Beltran aggressively, but this has to be more out of necessity than desire. Beltran, a switch-hitter, is one of the few outfield options that provides a right-handed bat, and Ben Cherington knows the perils of signing an aging, injury-prone outfielder.

Enter Yoennis Cespedes. The man is a physical freak, with absurd bat speed and power to all fields, which on first glance, remind me of something between Mike Stanton, Adrian Beltre, and Miguel Cabrera. Bold comparisons to be sure, but check out this video, particularly the homer at the 1:08 mark. The league and the pitcher are irrelevant--that is one hell of a shot to the opposite field. As a Red Sox fan, try not watching that ten times over and getting entirely too excited.

A week ago, the free agent market offered few options for the Red Sox and Ben Cherington. Now, the new GM is suddenly faced with a defining moment. Target the proven commodity (Beltran), or engage in an inevitable bidding war for a hyped-up, unknown talent? Cespedes presents several red flags, but none with which the Red Sox are unfamiliar. He likes to admire his home runs, but hey, so did Manny Ramirez. David Ortiz still does.

Now, the most important question: Does Yoennis Cespedes throw a gyroball?