Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig entered the regular season looking to build off a resurgent 2017 campaign, where he exceeded on both sides of the ball. It included a career-year at the plate and a stellar defensive performance at his position.
Puig established himself as one of the Dodgers’ better hitters last season, but hasn’t quite been able to replicate that success. In 76 games, he’s batting .265/.325/.462 with 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 35 RBI.
Puig’s batting average is currently higher than the .263 he posted last season, but his on-base percentage, slugging and home run numbers are down.
The 27-year-old is in the final year of his seven-year contract signed in 2012. He’ll be eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this winter and could potentially hit the open market in the following offseason.
Despite that, Puig recently said he isn’t worried about his contractual status, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I don’t care. Why do I need to focus on that?” he said. “If I hit, you need to pay me. If I no hit, you don’t pay me. I don’t have to worry about that. I have 150 more games to do that. If something is going to happen to me and my teammates – is my team going to the World Series? Then everybody is going to have a good contract. I don’t care about the contract right now.
Considering he was demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2016 for his poor play and behavior, Puig has done an exceptional job of rebuilding his value to the point where he is now in position to earn another lucrative contract.
One positive development for Puig is that he signed with a new agency in the Beverly Hills Sports Council. That came after he was without representation for roughly two months after being dropped by Wasserman Sports in February.
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