Right-handed pitcher Jorge Despaigne has been declared a costless agent by Major League Baseball. The 23-year-old hurler is the cousin of San Diego Padres' right-handed pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne.
Jorge is currently listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and was a very intriguing up-and-coming pitcher in Cuba before he left the island and gained residency in the country of Haiti. He is more notable for his arm strength than how polished of a pitcher he is. Despaigne has never played on the Cuban national team, which deprived scouts of the opportunity to see him pitch in person at any international competitions. Scouts who did get the chance to see him in Cuba say that he has a plus fastball that can touch the mid-90s. Despaigne possessed some control issues as he walked 56 batters in 70 2/3 innings pitched and struck out 54 batters while posting a 4.33 ERA over eleven starts and nine relief outings this past season for Isla De La Juventud.
Despaigne will be subject to the bonus pools, rather than being an unrestricted costless agent like Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo or Reds right-handed pitcher Raisel Iglesias were. In Despaigne's case, to gain exemption from Major League Baseball's international bonus pools he would have had to play at least five seasons in Cuba's Serie Nacional. He only has three seasons under his belt.
Despaigne has a showcase scheduled for September 25 at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ academy in the Dominican Republic. 25-year-old Cuban outfielder Dian Toscano and 20-year-old Cuban right-handed pitcher Javier Gonzalez are also expected to be at the showcase.