Just a few hours ago, several Japanese media reports revealed the new destination of Cuban slugger Alfredo Despaigne, who will be bidding farewell to baseball in his home country after a successful decade. According to the Pelota x Asia news site, Despaigne was released from the Softbank Hawks team on Tuesday, October 17.
Despaigne, who was signed as a midseason reinforcement, failed to meet the expectations of the prestigious Japanese team. Despite only playing 20 games, the Cuban player had a disappointing offensive average of .071 and failed to contribute any runs for the Falcons.
At 37 years old, Despaigne had an impressive career, both within and outside of baseball in Cuba. He arrived in Japan in 2014 but did not secure a contract with Softbank until 2017.
During his ten seasons in the Japanese baseball circuit, Despaigne amassed a total of 789 hits, including 184 home runs. He drove in 545 runs and scored 410, with a batting average of .261. Despaigne became a prominent figure for the Falcons over the years.
It is worth noting that Despaigne was not the only player to bid farewell to the Softbank Hawks. Infielders Willians Astudillo and Freddy Galvis, along with outfielder Courtney Hawkins, also left the team. However, the quartet collectively only managed 14 hits and one home run in the 2023 season.
Despaigne’s departure marks the end of an era for Cuban baseball as he begins a new chapter in his career. Fans will be eager to see where his talents take him next.