Yasiel Puig hit his first home run of the spring on Sunday, breaking a scoreless tie between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners in the fourth inning. Puig celebrated the moment with an exaggerated bat flip that elicited memories of his prolific rookie season in 2013.
To this point the spring has been relatively mundane for Puig. The 26-year-old is coming off another offseason in which he was instructed to shed weight. There’s also been a call to improve the quality of his at-bats.
While the homer against the Mariners was a bright moment, Puig’s focus remains on avoiding the habits that led to his demotion last season, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“What I really want to focus on is what sent me to triple A — be a better teammate, get here on time, follow the rules,” Puig said. “Everything else is up to God.”
Unable to move Puig prior to last year’s non-waiver trade deadline, the Dodgers optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. It marked the first time in Puig’s career he was sent down to the Minors since making his debut with the Dodgers in 2013.
Puig returned in September with a renewed focus and work ethic that drew praise from several of his teammates and Roberts. This winter he voiced a desire to again become an everyday player, whether with the Dodgers or another team.
Manager Dave Roberts has indicated the club will provide Puig with every opportunity to secure that type of role. Roberts added he believes Puig is arguably the top defensive right fielder in baseball and the Dodgers are a better team when the 26-year-old is in the lineup.
Puig batted .263/.323/.416 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 45 RBI and a 101 OPS+ over 104 games (81 starts) last season. His .740 on-base plus slugging percentage was a career-low, falling beneath a .758 OPS from the previous season, another that was considered a disappointment.
