Detroit Tigers 5 First Half MVPs (VIDEOS)

Jul 10, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) before playing against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Yoenis Cespedes

Detroit Tigers’ fans were largely split about the arrival of Yoenis Cespedes before this season. He is a flashy player with lots of potential, but he has not had a very productive season from start to finish since his first year stateside, in 2012.

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The more sabermetrically-inclined fans were not moved by the acquisition, but Cespedes put up an All-Star caliber first half despite not being selected in the MLB Final Vote.

Cespedes has been reliable at the plate, posting a .297 average and .821 OPS with 13 homers and 51 RBIs. He is leading the league with 27 homers. Some of us had been waiting for Yoenis’ signature moment as a Tiger, doing something positive that affects a game positively when that game was on the line.

He may have finally accomplished this last week when tying a game in the ninth inning against Seattle. Although the Tigers lost that game, he did give them a chance to win it.

Besides his solid season at the plate (if the numbers stand it would be his best showing since his rookie season), he has been a force in the outfield. His arm saves runs on one of the worst pitching staffs in the American League by holding runners to singles on gappers and preventing  runners from scoring in many cases.

Yoenis Cespedes’ Signature First-Half Moment:

Next: Iggy