Oakland A’s outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is incredibly strong. If his 23 homers and slugging percentage of .505 in his first MLB season last year didn’t prove that to you, the feat he accomplished in spring training will.
On Friday, Cespedes told A’s manager Bob Melvin that he was going to hit a home run during batting practice with a donut weight still on his bat. He kept his word.
“He told me today he was going to hit a home run off of me with the donut on the bat,” Melvin said, via CSNBayArea.com. “That’s what he did.”
“That was almost like Babe Ruth calling his shot.”
For those of you who didn’t know, a donut weight is typically used by players in the on-deck circle to prepare for their at-bat. It makes the bat heavier while warming up, which ideally increases bat speed by making the bat feel lighter when you step to the plate.
People don’t usually hit home runs with the weight still attached. Cespedes may not be admiring his actual home runs anymore, but that was one worth watching.
