- 'Puig is hitting .547 this spring' - Buster Olney's column about the best player in the Dodgers' camp ( - and in ST): http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/blog/_/name/olney_buster/id/9095089/los-angeles-dodgers-tough-decision-make-yasiel-puig-mlb …The Los Angeles Dodgers were determined to get a good look at prized prospect Yasiel Puig this spring. What they've seen has impressed them enough that they'll consider altering their plans.
(Photo: Jake Roth, USA TODAY Sports)
Puig, the Cuban outfielder the Dodgers signed to a seven-year, $42 million contract in June, is enjoying a monster spring training with a .527 batting average (29-for-55), three home runs and 11 RBI. His .547 average and 1.414 on-base plus slugging entering Sunday ranked first in the Cactus League.His performance has forced the Dodgers to ponder the once-unthinkable notion of keeping Puig on the big club to start the season, even though their outfield is set with three All-Stars — Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier — all signed to expensive long-term contracts.Crawford is coming back from elbow surgery but is on schedule to open the season on the active roster.General manager Ned Colletti has been getting questions about Puig's viability for opening day but is in no hurry to answer them, preferring to wait until the Dodgers have finished the remaining games in their exhibition schedule."We have to measure it and put the proper value on it, because it is spring training," Colletti said of Puig's eye-popping display. "Camp ends and the season starts, and suddenly everything's faster, everything's different. Some can continue to keep up with it, and some can't."Puig, 22, has played in more games and taken more at-bats than any other Dodger this spring, a reflection of the club's desire to check out their investment. He also hasn't walked once, which helps pile up the at-bats.Despite his exploits, logic might dictate the Dodgers stick with their original plan and send Puig to the minors, perhaps Class AA Chattanooga (Tenn.). After all, he has played in only 23 pro games that count stateside, all below AA, and there are parts of his game — baserunning and decision-making among them — that need refining."He's still a wild horse out there," manager Don Mattingly told news reporters last week. "He plays fast, and he plays hard. He's going to make some mistakes right now. He continues to learn all the time. That's really what you want to see."After defecting from Cuba last spring, Puig went months without playing while his legal status and contract were settled, then had to miss the Arizona Fall League because of a staph infection in an elbow. He played winter ball in Puerto Rico, batting .232 in 20 games while limited by a strained hamstring.Now healthy and growing more comfortable with his surroundings, Puig is displaying the skill set that prompted the Dodgers to outbid all other suitors.Built like an NFL linebacker at 6-3, 245 pounds, Puig has shown he can hit, steal bases, field his position and throw with authority."He's played well across the board in basically every area he could," Colletti said. "Then again, this is spring."The Dodgers also have to consider his off-field transition, perhaps another factor in favor of sending Puig to the minors, where he can continue his cultural adjustment and baseball development under less scrutiny.Puig has been taking English lessons and understands a bit but has a limited vocabulary.He has a simple goal for this spring training:"I want to do my best and let the coaches decide where I should start the season," he said in Spanish. "Wherever I go, I'm going to make every effort to earn a spot on the big club along with all these stars." - Puig's Dodgers debut not your average spring fling - USA TODAY: Puig's Dodgers debut not your average spring f... http://bit.ly/ZPIH3S
Monday, March 25, 2013
RT #Baseball fans everywhere need Yasiel Puig impressed them enough that #Dodgers consider altering their plans. #Wow #Amazing
