Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig entered the 2018 season looking to replicate his success at the plate from a year ago when he posted career highs in many offensive categories, including home runs (28), RBI (74) and slugging percentage (.487).
So far, that hasn’t been the case, as Puig finds himself batting .205/.256/.256 with a pair of doubles and seven strikeouts entering play on Tuesday.
Despite the early season slump, Puig remains optimistic that he’ll soon begin seeing positive results, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“How frustrated I am? Not too much. The team is not winning. We don’t produce runs,” Puig said.
“Almost all the at-bats I’ve had this season until right now, I take good pitches, hitting good line drives, put the ball in play – but all the time there’s somebody there to catch the ball. If I keep going and hit those balls, in the end, in the middle of the season, the ball is going to travel to the right position to get hits.”
With Justin Turner sidelined, Puig has received the brunt of his at-bats in the No. 3 spot in the Dodgers lineup. Though, he isn’t focusing on that and just wants to contribute on a daily basis.
As Puig notes, he has consistently put the ball in play via hard line drives. To no surprise, he is among the early season leaders in hard hit rate.
Furthermore, Puig is currently tied for ninth in all of baseball with an average exit velocity of 93.6 mph on balls in play. His .242 BABIP indicates that he has experienced some tough luck at the plate, which could explain the lack of results thus far.
