Yesterday, the bases were loaded with one out in the third inning. We then saw Yoenis Cespedes do something incredible. He got doubled off second base. 

Juan Lagares had hit a flyball to left center. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it was certainly deep enough to score David Wright from third.  Wright never scored because Cespedes drifted a little too far off of second, and he went back into the base standing. Wright’s run wouldn’t count, and it was all because Cespedes made an inexplicable bone headed play. It wasn’t the first time. 
Last year, we saw him allow not one:

but two:

Little League homeruns. 

It’s as bizarre. It’s inexplicable. 

That’s the problem with him. For as great and as talented as he is, he makes some bone-headed plays. He can look lazy out there at times. Cespedes gets away with it due to his immense talent.  The quintessential Cespedes play is the time he threw Sean Rodriguez out at third:

He took a bad angle to the ball. He never reached full speed in pursuing the ball in the air or on the ground. But that arm!  His arm was incredible, and it bailed him and the Mets out. It was his arm that got me excited in Game One of the NLCS. 

The Cubs were finally making contact against Matt Harvey. They had tied the score at 1-1, and they were still rallying when Javier Baez singled to left. Sitting in the left field Promenade, I was excited because I knew Cespedes was going to do this:

Cespedes is a uniquely talented player. He’s got great speed. He has a great arm. At the plate, he hits for power. There’s a reason why his nickname is La Potencia. 

But still, at the plate he can drive you crazy. He swings at balls out of the zone. He especially likes them low and outside. Furthermore, he likes them high. To a certain extent, he lacks plate discipline as is evident from his career .321 OBP or the fact that he has struck out over 100 times each year he has been in the majors. When he does strike out, I’ve yet to see him run to first on a pitch in the dirt. It’s enough to drive you crazy. But then, in typical Cespedes fashion, he does this:

He has the ability to change the entire course of the game with just one swing. We saw it after the trade deadline, and we saw it again this year:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cWsfXqxPNao

That’s what is frustrating with Cespedes. He is extremely talented. Perhaps, he is singularly most talented player in the game right now. If he’s not, he’s certainly up there. It’s why I love watching him play. You never know what amazing thing he’s going to do next. 

You also don’t know what bone-headed thing he’s going to do next. I hate it when he makes inexplicably bad plays like that. Through it all, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with this remarkably talented and mistake prone player. 

The funny thing is, right now, I wouldn’t change a thing.