The Dodgers open Spring Training February 27 against the Diamondbacks. They’ll be favored by many to win their division, and by some the World Series. They’ll have reigning Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, a healthy Matt Kemp, a handful of other All-Star players, and a young unknown by the name of Yasiel Puig. “Unknown, are you kidding?” No, I assure you I’m not. In spite of the avalanche of coverage the young Cuban received last summer, lost amongst the speed, power, and arm strength he displayed, was a level of unpredictability which makes him the most intriguing player of the upcoming Major League Baseball season.
By now you’ve heard; Puig sailed a gauntlet of sharks, befriended the Coast Guardsmen who repeatedly thwarted his defection attempts, and cut a deal with the Mexican Mob in an effort to enter the United States … allegedly. Since then, he took baseball by storm with his raw strength and skill, borderline over-the-top energy, and turbulent behavior off of the field. The world may be his oyster, but the life he chooses is anyone’s guess at this point.
With “good” Puig, the Dodgers have one of baseball’s most dynamic players. He can hit for average, no ballpark can contain his best shot, all extra base attempts are at the runner’s peril, and speed marvels at the young Cuban’s work on the base paths. But “bad” Puig swings at far too many pitches, fails more often than not with runners in scoring position, and is a powder keg in the locker room of which the likes haven’t been seen since Barry Bonds and his locker-room-lazy-boy exited stage left. Puig may be a wealth of talent, but at what price is the question the Dodgers must be asking themselves now?
During this past offseason, Yasiel spent his time in Florida modeling for the Collier County Police. In December, he was ticketed for speeding and reckless driving after being clocked at 110 mph in a 70 mph zone. The reckless driving ticket was later dropped and Puig since has relegated driving responsibilities to one of his minions, but coupled with his previous reckless driving ticket in Tennessee last April, he has built a track record of behavior off the field, consistent with his behavior on it.
We have a big enough sample size to conclude that young Mr. Puig is a bit of a loose cannon. Call it youth, call it a vibrant personality consistent with his culture, call it what you like, but the fact is that he’s proven to play outside the lines and it’s yet to be proven whether the Dodgers need him to play within them.
Can the locker room handle a full season of what they experienced for half of last year’s? Is Manager Don Mattingly willing to deal with the baggage Puig brings? And are fans of the game willing to accept Yasiel’s “antics,” in spite of their relative unwillingness to do so a year ago?
But most importantly, is Puig himself willing to harness the raw talent which got him to this point, and hone the God-given ability most believe can make him one of the game’s best?
It’s not his unwillingness to hit the cutoff man, listen to a base coach, or show more patience at the plate which should concern Dodger Blue, but more his lack of regard for those suggesting he do just that.
It wasn’t as if authority didn’t make an effort to rein him in. On more than one occasion, “authority” in the Dodger organization coached Puig, scolded him to a point, then eventually reprimanded him as a result of his on-the-field antics, and later due to indiscretions off of it. However, little good came of it and lesser seemed to hit-home for a player with nothing to lose. And therein may lie the problem: Puig seems to hold all the cards.
He’s making a lot of money, Dodger fans love him, and in spite of his shenanigans, it’s hard to keep a player of his ability off the field … and Puig and those around him know it.
Yasiel Puig was and remains a great story. His path to the Major Leagues was a long and hard one, and the true extent of its difficulty we may never know, but what we do know is that since he got there he’s been a combustible mixture of Sportscenter highlights, fundamental buffoonery, and neverending fodder for debate regarding the game and how it’s to be played. He was great for a while last season, mediocre for the remainder of it, and somewhat disappointing when it mattered most in the playoffs. What will he offer this year? There’s really no way to know, but it won’t be predictable, and it will leave at least a portion of people upset.
The Dodgers just hope it won’t be them.
