Yasiel Puig placed eighth in Dodgers’ lineup
By John Buhler
Enigmatic Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig did not have a good spring with the club and will be hitting eighth on Opening Day against San Diego.
The Los Angeles Dodgers look to build on their 2016 MLB campaign that saw them face the eventual World Series Champion Chicago Cubs in last year’s NLCS. They have a great roster, but one of the team’s most notable players did not have a good spring: outfielder Yasiel Puig.
Puig first came on the scene in Los Angeles back in 2013. He took the National League by storm, but has never fully tapped into all of his baseball talent. Add in a few other players like Logan Forsythe and Andrew Roles doing well in spring training, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has decided to have Puig hitting eighth and playing right field on Opening Day.
Batting towards the bottom of the order and playing right field is usually a bad sign for a little leaguer, let alone a major leaguer like Puig. Hitting .232 in spring training has left Roberts will little choice in where he hits the once-promising outfielder.
Puig played his best ball for former Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly. However with Roberts now at the helm, both men have bumped heads these last two years. Is Puig talented? Totally, but his inconsistent nature has essentially robbed him of such great star potential.
Roberts has a pennant to win and will have some tough competition along the way. The Cubs, the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals are a few of the teams that might challenge the Dodgers for the National League crown.
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The Puig saga in Los Angeles is at a breaking point. Either he rises to the occasion under Roberts’ tutelage or Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman with have to part ways with the fickle outfielder via trade.