Under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman the Los Angeles Dodgers have worked to gain any and every competitive advantage on a nightly basis, and that’s amounted to heavily relying on platoons at multiple positions.
The strategy most often applied to outfielders last season, with Kiké Hernnadez, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson, Trayce Thompson and Andrew Toles splitting starts, based on an opponent’s starting pitcher.
Yasiel Puig was also among those to lose a regular job, though it was more so due to a lack of production and the Dodgers’ desire to trade their mercurial outfielder. Unable to move Puig prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline, Los Angeles optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Upon rejoining the club in September, Puig was forced to split time with Josh Reddick in right field. Puig is hopeful to once again become an everyday starter this season, be it with the Dodgers or another club, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
Yasiel Puig: "I want to be a starter again, whether it's here or somewhere else."
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) January 23, 2017
Whereas last winter Puig was the subject of persistent trade rumors, this offseason has been a different story. One commonality is the Dodgers again asked the 26-year-old to shed some weight, which Puig once more is said to have been receptive to.
Justin Turner recently lauded Puig for his physical shape and mature handling of being part of a platoon for the first time in his carer.
Friedman expressed optimism the Cuban native had a better understanding of expectations, and noted improvement in Puig’s maturity after the demotion to Oklahoma City. In 2014 games with the Dodgers last season, Puig batted .263/.323/.416 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 45 RBI and a 101 OPS+.
His .740 on-base plus slugging percentage and OPS+ were both career lows. Despite some of his offensive woes, Puig unquestionably remains the Dodgers’ best option in right field, in large part due to his ability to impact the game defensively.
However, Puig may be hard-pressed to serve as the club’s lone right-fielder. Assuming full health, Los Angeles has natural platoons at all three outfield positions — Thompson and Toles in left, Hernandez and Pederson in center, and Andre Ethier and Puig in right.
