Puig-Mania Thread

[caulfield12]

He had to have just set a record there with his fourth homer.

 

 

Only five players in major league history since 1921 had at least 3 homers and 9 RBI's in their first 5 games.

 

Only three players in major league history had 3 homers (with the added caveat being one of the 3 had to be a Grand Slam) in their first four games (Puig, Dave Kingman and Middlebrooks last year).

 

 

What's most impressive is he's doing it against not only fastballs but he just hammered a Maholm off-speed pitch.

 

 

Two game-tying homers and the game ending outfield assist from deep RF in his first game.

 

First player with 4 homers in first 5 games in Brooklyn/LA Dodgers history.

 

Already being intentionally walked by Fredi Gonzalez (fellow Cuban) so the Braves could face Mark Ellis instead, in only his first week in the big leagues.

Edited June 8, 2013 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/...five-mlb-games/

[caulfield12]

2 for 4 (so far) with two singles, the 2nd on an infield single where he ill-advisedly dove into 1B in Nick Punto fashion and almost killed himself.

 

First player in MLB history with 4 homers and 10 RBI's in his first 5 games.

 

Currently 10/23 for a .435 average.

 

Still flexing his left shoulder, doesn't look quite 100%...almost moving right hand, shoulder and fingers around after that headfirst dive/crash into the bag.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

We all saw how he was tearing the cover off the ball in spring training. It was one time where you knew ST meant something. Special talent.

[caulfield12]

The nurturing of Yasiel Puig's power

June, 7, 2013

JUN 7

11:15

PM PT

By Mark Saxon | ESPNLosAngeles.com

 

LOS ANGELES -- This Yasiel Puig experience has been so surreal, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has taken to daydreaming about Puig's next exploit as he sits there on the bench or stands at the railing.

 

Often, the dream plays out right in front of him a few seconds later. He guessed Puig was going to hit a grand slam Thursday right before Puig hit a grand slam.

 

OK, that one didn't happen.

 

But Puig did hit a crucial home run to tie the score in the sixth inning to set up the Dodgers' winning rally in the 10th inning to beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1. Timing is everything for the Dodgers' young slugger. He has yet to allow a pinnacle moment to pass without doing something dramatic.

 

"It's just crazy stuff," Mattingly said. "Nothing really surprises us anymore."

 

Friday was the kind of game the pre-Puig Dodgers seemed to lose every night. They'd struggle to score and keep it close with good pitching. Then, it seemed, they would stand around waiting for somebody to beat them. Puig seems to have eradicated that mindset.

 

"I think he gives us the energy that we were missing, you know?" said veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez. "[Carl] Crawford is hurt, [Matt] Kemp is hurt, Hanley [Ramirez] is barely playing. He's someone who plays every day with that energy, has fun, and passes that all the way around the field."

 

It might look as if Puig is going it alone, but that's far from the case. He played all of 52 minor league games before getting here (contrast that with Mike Trout's 286 games in the minors), so the Dodgers are aware he's going to need guidance.

 

He has two team-appointed handlers, including a language teacher. Adrian Gonzalez has been mentoring him since he arrived. But the key conversations have been in the batting cage. He has been working closely with hitting coach Mark McGwire since the earliest days of spring training.

 

You can see Big Mac's impact on Puig's swing. He has shown power practically from foul pole to foul pole, allowing him to be a far better hitter than if he were looking for pitches in particular zones and trying to pull them. Thus far, Puig has homered to right field twice, left field once and center field once.

 

There aren't many baseball players who are as big as Puig, at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, but McGwire was one of them.

 

"Obviously, Mac's a power guy. He understands the swing, where guys are cutting it off," Mattingly said. "I know he worked with [Puig] on wanting to stay through it, use the center of the field and keep the bat going. Those are things I know they worked on in spring."

 

So far, so good. Puig has a 1.105 slugging percentage. There are two statistical anomalies from Puig's performance Friday. The Dodgers are hopeful his career path will follow one more closely than the other. The last player to hit four home runs in his first five games before Puig was the New York Mets' Mike Jacobs in 2005. The last player whose first four career home runs were a solo shot, two-run shot, three-run shot and grand slam was Frank Howard.

 

Jacobs is playing at Triple-A for the Reno Aces. Howard, who started as a Dodger, hit 382 career home runs, won a rookie of the year award and played in four All-Star games.

 

When you combine freak talent with meticulous preparation, crazy things can happen.

[caulfield12]

Dodgers/Braves the FREE MLB.COM Game of the Day at 3:10 p.m. CST.

 

 

Just had another double. 2/4. 12 for 27, .444.

Edited June 9, 2013 by caulfield12

[Chisoxfn]

For old times sake..."Where's our Puig?"

[caulfield12]

For old times sake..."Where's our Puig?"

 

 

Hopefully, in Winston-Salem, in the form of Tim Anderson or yet undiscovered.

 

It is a shame when you think of all the money we invested into Adam Dunn, if we would have been able to get either Puig or Cespedes. And it's not like Jaime Torres didn't try to market his services to us, because of the long-standing relationships with Contreras, El Duque, Alexei and Dayan.

 

Puig might be the closest thing to a young Roberto Clemente in the last 20-25 years.

 

The two players that were closest were a young Sammy Sosa (before the steroids, when he was known as The Panther) and Vladimir Guerrero, but Vladdy never had the speed and sheer sense of abandon in the outfield and on the basepaths. Definitely not a triples hitter. Similar arm strength, though.

 

We've already seen Puig throw a runner out at 1B from the warning track...

 

Cespedes has more pure power than almost anyone in the game, but he's just an adequate CFer (he's more of a corner guy, long-term) and he's not nearly as exciting as Yasiel.

 

We all miss Cubano for his comments on all the players from that country, btw. No idea what happened to him or where he went.

 

 

[Steve9347]

Nice start. There have been many like him before that both failed and succeeded to continue to live up to the hype. He's been just amazing so far.

[Steve9347]

It's impressive how many young hitters are coming up and simply killing it. I wonder if this is partially due to the at least lessening of PEDs in the sport. Instead of coming up, being dominated by 35 year olds, then roiding up, then starting to hit, these guys come up on a level playing field where their yet-to-peak muscles and frames don't effect them nearly as much.

[caulfield12]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/yasiel-puig-l....tsrc=samsungwn

 

Best debut week ever?

 

Don't know about the best throw....it's not close, I've seen much better throws by Bo Jackson, Larry Walker, Dwight Evans, Vladimir Guerrero, Jeff Francouer and Clemente, to name just a few, but it was still impressive, especially because he was a bit on his heels and didn't have all of his forward momentum behind it.

[caulfield12]

A single against All-Star (2012) Miley in his first at-bat.

 

This marks the first time that he's appeared in the clean-up spot, with Van Slyke out.

 

14/29=.483

 

Put another way, he could go 0 for 52 and still be hitting the same as Adam Dunn's .173.

[ptatc]

Hopefully, in Winston-Salem, in the form of Tim Anderson or yet undiscovered.

 

It is a shame when you think of all the money we invested into Adam Dunn, if we would have been able to get either Puig or Cespedes. And it's not like Jaime Torres didn't try to market his services to us, because of the long-standing relationships with Contreras, El Duque, Alexei and Dayan.

 

Puig might be the closest thing to a young Roberto Clemente in the last 20-25 years.

 

The two players that were closest were a young Sammy Sosa (before the steroids, when he was known as The Panther) and Vladimir Guerrero, but Vladdy never had the speed and sheer sense of abandon in the outfield and on the basepaths. Definitely not a triples hitter. Similar arm strength, though.

 

We've already seen Puig throw a runner out at 1B from the warning track...

 

Cespedes has more pure power than almost anyone in the game, but he's just an adequate CFer (he's more of a corner guy, long-term) and he's not nearly as exciting as Yasiel.

 

We all miss Cubano for his comments on all the players from that country, btw. No idea what happened to him or where he went.

It's amazing how at the time everyone loved the signing saying that a strong consistent LH power hitter is exactly what the Sox needed. He was perfect because of his consistent power hitting over his entire career was what everyone was saying. Now everyone can't wait to jump all over him as the reason the Sox arer a bad team.

[caulfield12]

It's amazing how at the time everyone loved the signing saying that a strong consistent LH power hitter is exactly what the Sox needed. He was perfect because of his consistent power hitting over his entire career was what everyone was saying. Now everyone can't wait to jump all over him as the reason the Sox arer a bad team.

 

 

He's not THE reason.

 

He's just a symbol who's easy to pick on because of his nearly historic abysmal batting averages.

 

It's a lot easier to pick on Dunn (an outsider to the Sox organization) than Paul Konerko or Dayan Viciedo. And then you have his being the highest paid player on the team, which will always rile some fans, especially when he seemingly takes a "happy go lucky" attitude about his day-to-day struggles.

 

In the same way, players like Gillaspie, Flowers and Keppinger are taking a lot of heat when they are also being cast in the role of scapegoats....all those players are complementary players on a very good team.

 

And then the injuries to Floyd, Peavy, Beckham, etc.

 

Ventura and the coaching staff not getting the team prepared to play....that's at least 25% of it as well.

 

 

I just wish we'd kept Thome going into 2010, but that's crying over spilled milk. But if Thome had that same kind of season he had for the Twins, we PROBABLY would have kept him at least into 2011, and Dunn would never have been signed.

Edited June 11, 2013 by caulfield12

[fathom]

There's no reason to ever get mad the Sox didn't sign Puig. Even if they tried to get him, no one was going to top the Dodgers bid.

[caulfield12]

There's no reason to ever get mad the Sox didn't sign Puig. Even if they tried to get him, no one was going to top the Dodgers bid.

 

 

Well, at least MLB is happy, with so many superstars in LA.

 

Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez, Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Kemp, Hamilton, Trout, Pujols, Puig, Jared Weaver.

[caulfield12]

Puig 2 for 2, broken bat single.

 

15 for 30 now.

 

Puig stands a long way off the plate...so some teams have been trying to dot the outside corner, but he's been lashing them to RF.

 

Came inside (Miley) with an off-speed pitch, and he ripped/pulled it to LF.

 

"Lightning on the field...but you never know when or where it's going to strike," haha.

 

 

 

Didn't realize he hit .517 in spring training. Tried to test Gerado Parra's arm going 1st to 3rd...with no outs, and got thrown out at 3rd. Seems like he decided on his own and didn't look up for Wallach coaching 3rd until he was 3 steps past 2nd.

Edited June 11, 2013 by caulfield12

[Jordan4life_2007]

Well, at least MLB is happy, with so many superstars in LA.

 

Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez, Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Kemp, Hamilton, Trout, Pujols, Puig, Jared Weaver.

 

Doesn't matter. Baseball is god-awful at marketing. And the G.O.A.T. is already 2/2 tonight.

[caulfield12]

Doesn't matter. Baseball is god-awful at marketing. And the G.O.A.T. is already 2/2 tonight.

 

 

Your guy Parra was just involved in throwing him out at 3rd just now...

[caulfield12]

3/4.

 

Another liner.

 

16/32. Still at .500.

 

 

Looks like the Dodgers might blow this game. Had bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, 3-1 lead, and failed to score (another controversial call at first on a DP ball).

 

D-Backs have scored to pull to within 3-2, bases loaded, against Brandon League with only one out.

4-3 lead for Arizona. Infield single up the middle by Bloomquist, Punto knocked it down but couldn't get an out and the runners were going on the pitch so two scored.

 

League getting booed out of the stadium...they definitely could use a different closer.

Edited June 11, 2013 by caulfield12

[LittleHurt05]

Can Puig close? He can do everything else.

[caulfield12]

Can Puig close? He can do everything else.

 

 

I'm sure if he was a pitcher, he could throw in the mid 90's, going off the claim that Viciedo threw 88-91 from scouting reports.

[caulfield12]

Puig hit in the nose by a pitch by Ian Kennedy...

 

Almost a devastating blow. There's going to be payback for this, either tonight or tmrw.

 

On the basepaths, by a Dodgers' pitcher, it's on.

 

And Ethier strikes back against the DBacks with a homer to tie it 2-2 (scoring Puig as well), with the Dodgers now fully awakened.

 

Ethier 5 homers and 17 RBI's only.

Edited June 12, 2013 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

And, of course, Greinke's right in the middle of the revenge, despite getting injured in a similar situation by Quentin.

 

Not an actual fight....not yet.

 

Gibson's barking, but it's more out of obligation.

 

"Don Drysdale says, you hit one of my guys, I'll hit two of yours." Lots of trash talking, both sides have been warned. Umpires knew it was coming and allowed the message to be sent.

[caulfield12]

Greinke drilled by Kennedy, up around the head. (and not behind the back)

 

This time, there was a fight. Dodgers trying to keep Puig out of it. If Greinke gets hurt again...guys from the DL out on the field, like Hanley Ramirez.

 

McGwire and Gibson going after it, Matt Williams trying to intervene.

 

Mattingly and Don Baylor involved, screaming at each other.

 

Peter Moylan. Puig is trying to get back in and Luis Cruz is holding him back.

 

Alan Trammel in there, too. Teams are finally being separated by the umpires.

Edited June 12, 2013 by caulfield12