Number 66 is a large man. Photo courtesy of Randall McCoach.
I once saw this show where a woman won a grocery shopping spree. She was standing at the front of the supermarket and could load up as many carts as she could within the time limit. The host yelled ‘GO!’ and she just stood there, frantically looking back and forth. She was frozen because it was just too good.
That’s the way it is with Yasiel Puig who was called up by the Dodgers. Fantasy baseball owners are frantically cycling back and forth between overhyped bust and fantasy season savior.
And scouts have been the same. Baseball America listed Puig as the #47 prospect, while he was completely absent from Keith Law’s Top 100. Baseball’s best scouts don’t know what to think about Puig, so how is a fantasy owner supposed to cut through the hype and make a reasoned decision?
The 22-year-old Puig defected from Cuba in 2012 after a couple of failed attempts and the Dodgers quickly signed him to a 7-year, $42 million dollar contract, which to them is seat cushion change. (Side note, the Dodgers had a $216 million dollar Opening Day payroll while the Marlins were sitting at $36 million. The Marlins are 16 and 41, while the Dodgers are only 7 games better at 23 and 32. Do you think shooting vastly under expectations played any part in Puig’s call up?)
The righty Puig has hit at every level since, albeit none of it against consistently high calibre competition. After a .526 Spring Training the whispers of him opening with the Dodgers turned into roars, but he was wisely optioned to Double A, where he’s hit .313 with 8 homers and 13 stolen bases in 167 plate appearances. This extra exposure has scouts thinking more and more that he’s the real deal.
He’s got a pretty good batting eye (15 walks against 29 Ks) to go with enormous raw power and speed. He’s 6’3″ 245, cut and shaped like a wedge. His power comes both from his muscular upper body and solid to decent swing. He has great natural sped but is raw on the base paths, meaning he’s likely to not get the steals in the Majors like he did in the minors.
He plays with the passion of a Brett Lawrie or Bryce Harper, and his best baseball skill might be his theatrical bat flips. Here’s video proof.
He’s a fantasy gamble, but he’s a fantastic fantasy gamble. While he’s long gone in dynasty leagues, jump on him for a waiver claim or FAAB bid in redraft leagues.
Playing time will be an issue going forward, but if he hits he’ll find his bat in the lineup. Worse case scenario is that he finds himself in a platoon with Andre Ethier. I think he’ll come out of the gate absolutely smoking, until to hit a wall when pitchers figure him out. His ability to adjust against Major League pitchers will be what defines his upcoming playing time.
Yoenis Cespedes – the last Cuban defector compared to Bo Jackson – excelled in making adjustments, so that’s what fantasy owners are hoping for in Yasiel Puig. Him in your lineup could be a .280+ average with 15 homers and 9 steals going forward. It could just as easily be dashed hopes and dreams. He could be like winning a shopping spree, just don’t get frozen deciding on adding him to your lineup.
Finally, the question everyone wants answered: How do you pronounce his name. Just like it’s spelled, of course. (Editor’s note: “yah-zeal pweeg”.)