MLB 2017: One prediction for each team

Los Angeles Dodgers: this is Puig’s year

For the past two years, we’ve been waiting for the Dodgers to cut ties with mercurial outfielder Yasiel Puig. Injuries and general malfeasance have kept him wearing Dodger blue. Puig is now 26, and this may be his make-or-break season in the big leagues.

Puig checks all the boxes with his raw tools, but has been trending in the wrong direction as a big leaguer. His OPS has declined from .925 his rookie year to .740 last year. Along the way, there have been flashes of prolonged good behavior and maturity. He struggled to make consistent hard contact in the first half of last season, prompting the Dodgers to send him down to Triple-A for close to a month. In the minors, Puig hit .358/.422/.605 with five home runs. When he was recalled in September, he looked like his old self.

In 23 games in September, Puig slashed .281/.338/.561 with four home runs. He went on to play in all six games in the NLCS and recorded four hits. For all of the money the Dodgers have spent on their roster over the past five seasons, they still have a patchwork outfield. Puig has to step up and carry the load in right field because players like Andrew Toles and Trayce Thompson simply are not good enough to be full-time players on a team that expects to contend for a World Series.

The Dodgers will have to enter the 2017 with Puig as their right fielder. When he came back and hit well in September, he was able to hit fastballs for power, while still hitting them at roughly the same average. He hit sliders well the entire year, but continues to have problems with the curveball and changeup. Puig was called up by the Dodgers after only 83 games in the minor leagues. Had he been given more time to develop, he may not have had as much difficulty hitting offspeed stuff.

There has always been too much pressure on Puig to carry the Dodgers. In 2017, he’ll finally have a year with lowered expectations. This is Corey Seager’s offense now, and Puig can bat in a slot in the order where he’ll not be pressured to drive in runs. For all his flaws, Puig always plays the game with passion and joy. Management has stuck with him long enough, and that patience will finally be rewarded in 2017.