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          New York Mets

          Yoenis Cespedes' road from 'a bike' in Cuba to a fleet of rides in U.S.

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 26, 2016, 02:44 PM
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              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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          PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes never owned a car in his native Cuba.

          “A bike,” Cespedes said Friday in Spanish. “A bike ... and I walked.”

          Now, he owns a vehicle for every day of the week. Well, six days of the week actually, so he’ll have to repeat one in a seven-day span.

          Cespedes on Sunday and Monday drove into the Mets’ complex in a Ford F-250. He arrived Tuesday in a three-wheel Polaris Slingshot. Wednesday was a Lamborghini Aventador. Thursday was an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

          On Friday morning, Cespedes then rolled into the Mets’ player parking lot at the team’s spring-training complex in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited that just had the final upgrades done in the past day.

          All have been tricked out by Alex Vega, owner of The Auto Firm in Miami. Cespedes’ one-time agent introduced the two. The Jeep, with upgrades, cost him $80,000.

          Cespedes signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the Mets in late January. He can opt out after earning $27.5 million this season.

          “Being in Cuba, I never thought I was going to be in the United States,” Cespedes said Friday. “After I got here I saw the possibilities that I could have whatever I want, so I worked hard for it.”

          Even teammates marvel at Cespedes’ vehicle du jour, stopping to take photos or sit in the driver’s seat.

          "I'll be showing off my Toyota Highlander tomorrow if anyone wants to come early,” catcher Kevin Plawecki joked earlier this week.

          Cespedes said the Slingshot, which technically is a three-wheel motorcycle, is the most fun to drive.

          “It hasn’t been all of a sudden,” Vega said about Cespedes’ growing collection. “He started with a regular car, like everybody else. He got a [Mercedes-Benz] GL. … A soccer-mom car.”

          Added Vega: “Little by little, every year, he gets something different. ... With him, I do everything. Like with the Lamborghini, we took it to the bare bones and we repainted the whole entire car. We redid the whole inside. We did the fire-breathing exhaust, custom wheels. I always design his own wheels for him.”

          Vega has also done work on a Range Rover belonging to Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon as well as on vehicles belonging to closer Jeurys Familia.

          As for what Cespedes will arrive in Saturday, the final vehicle yet to be on full display, Vega said: “We’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow, too. I think tomorrow you guys are going to really go crazy.”