Heading into the 2016 season Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman referred to Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig as two of the team’s ‘wild cards.’ Pederson had a strong showing early in 2015 then faded, while hamstring injuries limited Puig to a career-worst 79 games.
Both were largely expected to anchor two of the three outfield spots this season. Although Pederson at times has been used in a platoon of sorts, Puig’s been a mainstay in right field when healthy. There have been ups and downs with both players, including time missed due to injury.
“My thing with Yasiel is always that I want to evaluate the player that he is, not the player that people think he might be or the player that he was three years ago,” Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi recently told David Vassegh on “Dodgers On Deck” on AM 570 LA Sports.
“Since he has come off the DL he has actually swung the bat really well. I don’t know if he’s ever going to be a big home-run guy. I just don’t think that’s his swing or his game, but playing the kind of defense he does if he’s getting his hits and occasionally mixes in a home run, that’s a pretty good player.”
Puig missed 17 games during June with a strained left hamstring. Since being reinstated he’s hit .294/.384/.412 with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs over 26 games (22 starts). However, Puig is currently battling right hamstring tightness that’s limited him to one pinch-hit appearance in the past four games.
He suffered the injury one inning after entering the series finale against the Washington Nationals as a double switch. There was early optimism Puig would avoid another DL stint, but that’s no longer as certain.
Overall this season he’s batting .255/.316/.376 with eight doubles, seven home runs, 32 RBIs, a .304 wOBA and 91 wRC+. Since slugging 19 home runs as a rookie in 2013, Puig hit 16 homers in 2014 and 11 last season.
He’s the subject of recent trade rumors and wasn’t the only outfielder Zaidi spoke with optimism about. “Joc has actually been a nice surprise just in terms of his consistency and getting his strikeout rate down,” the general manager said.
“Obviously the injury was a little bit unfortunate, but we’re seeing continued signs of progress from both [Pederson and Puig].”
In his second full season in the Majors, Pederson is batting .235/.325/.454 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs. He has struck out 74 times, which has him on track to fall below the 170 strikeouts from last season.
