Alfredo Despaigne his time in the Japanese leagues

February 26, 2023

The story of Alfredo Despaigne is unique in Cuban baseball after 1959. Never had an athlete living on the island, much less under the auspices of the Cuban Baseball Federation, been allowed to be a millionaire in a public and official manner.

The contracts of the native of the municipality of Contramaestre, in Santiago de Cuba, have over time been adding millions and millions, and the total figures are truly interesting.

Nine years have already passed since his first signing in Japanese lands; on that occasion, the Chiba Lotte Marines secured his services for 700,000 dollars.

In that 2014 "El Alazán Mayor" obtained a one-year contract, but it would be extended in 2015 for two more seasons, in what would be the first million-dollar contract for a Cuban athlete residing on the island and represented by the Federation.

According to the beisboljapones.com media outlet, that contract amounted to 4.2 million (2.1 per year), plus a series of incentives that could raise the total to 6.6 million once the two seasons were completed.

The performance of the Cuban during that period was such and appreciated so much that an offer of 10.2 million for three years was rejected by the FCB, after one of the most powerful clubs in the Land of the Rising Sun put their cards on the table.

At that time, Despaigne was in his best form and in the 2016 season he had left his best numbers, with 24 home runs, 92 RBIs and an offensive line of .280/.361/.480/.841 (AVE/OBP/SLG/OPS).

At 30 years old and with a tendency to increase his batting, the Softbank Hawks and with an offer never before seen for a National Series athlete, of 16 million for three seasons, for an annual salary of 5.3 million dollars.

Despaigne did not disappoint, and added two seasons of 35 or more home runs and one of 100 or more RBIs. In total he accumulated 100 home runs in that period of time, with a total of 265 RBIs in 382 games played. Figures that guaranteed him a renewal for two more years.

Already at 33 years old you couldn't expect a contract similar to the one achieved three years earlier, but he was still signed for 4.2 million during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

This period was the worst for the native of Granma throughout his career. Various injuries and the impact of the pandemic resulted in him playing only 105 games and hitting 16 home runs.

But Despaigne, after recovering from the injury suffered in the pre-Olympic, had an exceptional offensive resurgence and when many gave him up for done, he managed to convince the Hawks' management that he could contribute much to the cause, thus achieving his second renewal, this time for one more year and 2.5 million, a salary higher than his last two seasons.

During 2022 he was again affected by injuries and could only join for the second half of the season, playing 89 games, with an offensive line of .269/.338/.444/.783, 14 home runs and 40 RBIs.

Despaigne, with the Hawks, accumulated 130 home runs and 358 RBIs in 578 games, winning the championship on four occasions (2017-2020), but out of the finals in the last two seasons.

If we add up each of Despaigne's contracts in Japanese lands, we have that in his nine seasons he accumulated a total of approximately 27.6 million dollars, for an average salary of 3 million per year, something without precedent for any Cuban resident on the island and under the protection of the government, let alone just in sports.

Unfortunately for the Cuban, his time in the NPB seems to have come to an end; at 36 years old and with a tendency to injuries in his last three seasons, it seems unlikely that he will get any team interested in his services, given that the Hawks have already announced through various media that both he and his compatriot Yurisbel Gracial will not return next year.