When Mike Trout burst onto the MLB scene in 2012, not many would have thought that just a year later, there would be a new rookie phenom looking to steal some thunder.  That rookie would be LA Dodgers star Yasiel Puig who helped turn a struggling Dodgers team into a division champion club.  Fellow Cuban star, Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland A’s has made quite a name for himself as well.  So, who has the brighter MLB future?

Cespedes doesn’t have much more major league experience than Puig, but he’s had his ups and downs in his first two seasons with the A’s.  Oakland wouldn’t have won back-to-back AL West titles without the Cuban Missile as their record without Cespedes is quite alarming and concerning for the club.  The left fielder provides a power threat at the plate and is always capable of hitting the long ball. 

Although Cespedes has only been in the majors for two seasons, he’s accomplished quite a few things.  His rookie season, he finished in second place behind Trout in Rookie of the Year voting, and he was a finalist this year for the Gold Glove among AL left fielders.  It hasn’t been all nominations and second place finishes for Cespedes, though, as he was this year’s Homerun Derby Champion.  Everyone heard about his amazing batting practice sessions, but all MLB fans were able to see just how strong the A’s left fielder is during the Homerun Derby.  He put on an amazing show and, although he wasn’t an All Star, he took home the trophy.

While Cespedes is a fun player to watch, there are some concerns with him as his career progresses.  His rookie season, he batted .292 with 23 homeruns and 82 RBI in 129 games.  This season, Cespedes played in 135 games and batted .240 with 26 homeruns and 80 RBI.  The decline in average is a concern for Cespedes.  He usually has an easy time making adjustments to different pitches, but struggled at the plate at times this season.  The biggest concern when it comes to Cespedes and his MLB future is his recurring wrist problem.  His wrist has kept him out of the lineup quite a bit over his MLB career and has been an issue in both seasons.  When his wrist is bothering him, it’s apparent at the plate and you can see it in the way he swings the bat and the hits don’t come like they do when he’s completely healthy.  If the wrist issues continue for him, his career will be affected.

Puig burst onto the scene when he got the call-up after Matt Kemp went on the disabled list and never looked back.  The 22-year-old has had a remarkable rookie season batting .319 with nineteen homeruns and 42 RBI in 104 games.  He’s made some nice plays in right field for the Dodgers as well.  One of the most impressive things about Puig is that he is able to get the timely and clutch hits in crucial games.  The Dodgers started the season very slow and did not live up to the hype they created before the season began.  When Puig was called up, he added the right spark to the lineup to get this team moving in the right direction, and they took off from there.  He’s an above average rookie who looks to have a bright future in this game. 
Puig and Cespedes have a lot in common.  They are huge difference makers in games as they are clutch players and they are vital to their teams lineups.  They both had impressive rookie seasons, and look to grow as their careers progress.  It’s not uncommon for players to have sophomore slumps; this game is all about making adjustments and the best players in the game are able to do that.  Both players have bright futures in this game and are going to do some amazing things as their careers progress, but at this point, Puig may have the upper hand.  He hasn’t had a recurring injury like Cespedes and his wrist, but he hasn’t played as many games as Cespedes either (In his rookie year, Cespedes played in 25 more games than Puig). 

Both will have great MLB careers, and right now Cespedes has had the better career, but Puig is younger and doesn’t have health concerns like Cespedes does.