What will Yasiel Puig be in 2017?

Yasiel Puig is one of the most polarizing players in baseball and his impact on the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 will be very significant in determining his future with the club.

The player that Vin Scully deemed “The Wild Horse” during a spectacular, whirlwind rookie season in 2013 has yet to consistently capitalize on his abundant ability.

Entering his fifth season in 2017, Puig has seen his OPS decline each year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, reaching a nadir last summer when he was sent down to AAA Oklahoma City.

Puig, a 26-year old Cuba native with a lifetime .833 OPS to go with 57 home runs, has an improved approach entering this season, and belted his first roundtripper today to compile a modest three-game hitting streak.

Though spring training stats are routinely and intentionally overlooked, a slimmed-down Puig is one player that Dave Roberts and the Dodgers front office will be watching closely.

The power and talent are undeniable, and the Dodgers front office will be keeping an eye on his new approach, never mind the occasional bat flip.

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/838502611640709120

Appearing more athletic and lean as than he has in a Dodgers uniform, Puig attributes his weight loss to advice and a diet regimen inspired by Hall-of-Famers-to-be Albert Pujols and Robinson Cano.

Puig’s Bo Jackson-esque skillset of straight-line speed, raw power and a rocket arm is unparalleled in today’s Major League Baseball, and the Dodgers are hoping that the package culminates in a career season for Puig.

Though it appeared the the Dodgers were finished with the mercurial Puig in 2016, it was after he was called up from AAA last season that the Dodgers saw his improved outlook; his talent was never in doubt.

The consistency of effort increased, and his numbers bore out a more realized focus from the outfielder – his .705 first half OPS improved to .837 after his recall.

Los Angeles’ front office knew Puig’s talent, but the production convinced president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi to keep Puig in-house for the 2017 season.

When the year kicked off, it was evident what the organization wanted from Puig.

“I think the upside is significant, and I think there’s a lot more awareness of kind of what’s expected,” Friedman said at a Dodger Stadium press conference in January.

“I definitely see some real maturation. . .he’s capable of so much, and I know his teammates want to see him achieve that, we want to see him achieve that, and we’ll do everything we can to put him in a position to do that.”

One problem of opportunity for Puig is that the Dodgers have a logjam in the corner spots of the outfield.

With Joc Pederson set to start the majority of games in centerfield, Andre Ethier, Andrew Toles, Kiké Hernandez, Scott Van Slyke, Trayce Thompson and Franklin Gutierrez are all competing for playing time at the corner outfield spots.

Each player has advantages and disadvantages, but nobody comes close to the “five tool” talent package that is Yasiel Puig.

And that’s exactly why manager Dave Roberts wants to give Puig the majority of the playing time this season. Roberts told Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times, “we expect him to be out there the majority of the time.

Yasiel put in a lot of work this winter with his swing, his swing mechanics. And, obviously, the body looks great.”

Again with the physique.

Puig is not shy, this we know – he spent part of the offseason as an impromptu barista at Coffee Bean in Studio City.

By all counts, he looked great, including a nod from TMZ.

And based on early returns thus far in the spring, the swing looks great, too – and that’s what Roberts, Friedman, and the Dodger Stadium faithful would love to see from “The Wild Horse” in 2017.