Los Angeles Dodgers: Yasiel Puig Unlikely to Return to Majors This Season
New reports suggest that former All-Star Yasiel Puig appears “unlikely” to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.
According to Jon Heyman, Yasiel Puig may not be returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers anytime soon. After experiencing further drops in performance this year, the Dodgers sent Puig to the minors a few weeks ago to “develop further as a player”. Heyman notes that Puig has been playing well in Triple-A so far, but the Dodgers appear unlikely to bring him back to the major leagues since he has “turned off” teammates.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yasiel Puig has been both a blessing and a curse. Just a few seasons ago, he was one of the brightest talents in baseball. He placed second in the 2013 National League Rookie of the Year voting to the even more elite Jose Fernandez. Still, his .319/.391/.534 batting line was one of the best among all outfielders, and he promised a seemingly endless potential.
The following season, the right-hander managed to duplicate his success. Although his statistics had regressed a bit, he provided the Los Angeles Dodgers with a good bit of power and a solid ability to get on base. All in all, his 5.3 Wins Above Replacement were the fourth-most among all National League outfielders.
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Then Puig continued to decline, and he became merely an above average player in 2015. By the time he had reached the middle of this season, his performance had dipped so much that he was barely better than a replacement level player.
Even as a useful player on a decent contract, his personality always seemed to get him in trouble. Before 2015, Florida police arrested the Cuban phenom for reckless driving, marking the second time this had occurred in just eight months. His off-field antics had created a rift between him and his teammates, and an unidentified ex-Dodger went so far as to say that Puig was “the worst person [he had] ever seen in this game” after that same season.
To further complicate matters, Puig’s off-field problems caused by his personality had sometimes created problems on the field. His flair for the dramatic often led him to steal bases at an alarming and unsuccessful rate while often attempting risky fielding plays.
Even worse, Puig quickly gained a reputation for clashing with his teammates. Molly Knight touched on this subject in her book The Best Team Money Can Buy. As Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports summarized before its release, Puig’s teammates openly discussed their distaste for the star. Puig had experienced many altercations with his teammates and frequently came under fire for his work ethic and tardiness.
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Combining all of these factors makes it clear to see why the Dodgers have grown tired of his antics. He may be a highly talented player, but Puig has alienated his teammates and done more harm than good. Barring a major change in his actions around teammates, which seems unlikely after his latest incident in Triple-A, the Los Angeles Dodgers will surely be hoping to unload his presence this off-season.