"The Tigers have strong interest in an outfielder viewed as the most talented player to have departed Cuba in decades.

Yoennis Cespedes (pronounced SES-peh-des), a 26-year-old center fielder and superstar for the Cuban national team, this summer defected to the Dominican Republic.

He is considered to be a spectacular, five-tool (speed, power, defense, hitting for average, and for power) player, replete with a personal 20-minute highlights film available on YouTube.

Cespedes is a 5-foot-10, 187-pound right-handed hitter, with a vertical leap of 45 inches. He runs a 60-yard dash in 6.3 seconds.

He has been on the international scouts radar for years and was further observed last week by the Tigers during a showcase workout in the Dominican Republic attended by a host of big league teams."