From Campechuela, Cuba, Céspedes played eight seasons until 2010 for the Alazanes de Granma in the Cuban National Series. In that time, he batted .319, .404 on-base percentage (OBP), .565 slugging percentage (SLG), 169 home runs and 557 runs batted in (RBI) over 528 games. He was also a member of the Cuba national team, winning gold medals in three tournaments. In MLB, he won the Home Run Derby in both 2013 and 2014. He is a two-time All-Star, and in 2015, played in his first World Series as member of the National League champion Mets.