The Los Angeles Dodgers struggled mightily at the beginning of the 2018 season. A big factor in their early slump was their lackluster offense. Many Dodgers position players expected to contribute with their bats got off to a slow start, including Yasiel Puig.
Over his first 24 games, Puig had a .193 batting average with a .500 on-base plus slugging percentage. Things got worse when Puig wound up on the disabled list with a bruised hip.
However, that DL trip may have been the best thing for Puig. Since his return from injury, Puig looks much more like the resurgent 2017 spark plug in the Dodgers’ lineup than the player that struggled on and off the field in previous seasons. He’s batting .297 with a .971 OPS over his last 36 games, a key reason why the Dodgers won 21 out of 27 in a recent stretch.
When asked about Puig’s improvement, Dave Roberts credited Puig with having more focus. He also shed some light on the dynamite outfielder’s mindset, via Bill Plunkett of the O.C. Register:
“His DNA, more than most, is results-driven. And so, he can square three balls up and not have any results and feel either he needs to change or he’s disappointed in a lack of results. As opposed to realizing you can’t control the result. It was ‘You put a good swing on a pitch.’
“Some players are more results-driven. Some players like Justin Turner to the other extreme can trust a process and bet on the results on the back end by being consistent. Every player is different. But Yasiel is a guy who’s certainly all about results.”
Anyone who has watched the Dodgers over the past five years knows well what a roller coaster Puig’s career has been. He had one of the best Major League debut seasons ever in 2013, helping spark a turnaround that ended in a National League West title for the Dodgers. Puig then followed that up with an All-Star appearance in 2014.
In 2015, however, things started falling apart. New reports emerged about Puig’s clashes with teammates and management behind the scenes. He missed time with a hamstring injury and his numbers dropped significantly.
The off-field issues came to a head in 2016 when the Dodgers sent Puig down to the Minor Leagues after trying to trade him. Puig returned to the big league club before the end of the season and made the playoff roster, but many believed he would not wear Dodger Blue for much longer.
Then, in 2017, Puig had his best season in three years. He proved a key component in the Dodgers’ run to their first National League pennant in nearly three decades.
Puig now looks to be back on the upswing–no pun intended–and it is no coincidence that the Dodgers are, too.
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