Los Angeles Dodgers: Yasiel Puig is back in the spotlight this postseason

Los Angeles has several players that provided sizable contributions during the regular season. But none of them have matched what Puig has done thus far in October.

At this point, anyone watching Yasiel Puig expects a bat to fly out of his hands nearly every pitch. Or at least every at-bat.

But Dodgers fans wont’ complain, as long as the original Cuban defector can keep contributing at the plate.

The ebullient outfielder has been a fan favorite at times, energizing the endless number of fans at Chavez Ravine. He’s also been a frustrating fool, with his doltish decisions on the bases and in the outfield.

Thus far, he’s treading in the right direction. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts hopes it can stay that way. He and his players can handle the antics, as long as they are connected to a double or highlight-reel catch here and there.

“It’s dumb sometimes,” Cody Bellinger told the Los Angeles Times. “But he brings a lot of energy to this team.”

Puig is an attention-seeker, garnering the media’s notice with his bat flips and tongue-wagging. He’s talked the talk.

Now he’s finally walking the walk.

In a critical Game 1 against the defending World Series champion Cubs, Puig ignited the offense. He whipped an RBI-double off the wall in the fifth inning off Jose Quintana, who flustered the Dodgers through four innings.

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Then, in the seventh, Puig struck again in dramatic fashion.

He worked into a 1-1 count, then crushed a 90-mph fastball from southpaw Mike Montgomery into left center. Although Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber initially called for the ball, it was out of his reach. It went over the fence.

That wasn’t the game-winning hit, but it extended Los Angeles’ lead to 4-2, one it would not give up. It was also Puig’s first career postseason home run. And, surprisingly, a bat flip did not accompany the 378-foot yak.

Unexpectedly, the powerful hitter has been a productive player at the plate this October.

Puig sits atop the team leaders this postseason with a .467 average and six RBIs thus far. He’s the only player in the league to hit a single, double, triple and home in the playoffs this year.

Based on Puig’s season numbers, this step forward could be surprising for any baseball fan. Yet he did set plenty of career-highs in 2017.

The former All-Star did blast 28 bombs this season while hitting .263. While his average has sat around the .250 to .260 line much of his career, he never tallied more than 20 homers prior to this season. He also compiled the most RBIs in his career. Lastly, he accrued 64 walks in the regular season, second-most in his career.

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Although he’s prone to be very haphazard at the dish, Puig could win back Dodgers fans with his postseason presence. Even if he continues to struggle, he’s still likely to make some headlines with his witty comments or his amusing foolery on the field.

One thing is for sure. Baseball is more fun when Yasiel Puig is having fun.