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Dodgers Roster Preview 2017: The Outfield

By Evan Lovett

Oct 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson (31) and right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) before playing against the Washington Nationals during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson (31) and right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) before playing against the Washington Nationals during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 8, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) during a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports /

Yasiel Puig

The “Wild Horse” was a phenom that brought back ghosts of Mannywood and Fernandomania.

When Puig’s career started, here are the players that accrued the numbers he did through 500 plate appearances: Frank Thomas.

That’s it.

And Thomas was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014. Puig batted .306 and had an OPS of .890 after two seasons. The Dodgers considered him a franchise player. Along with Clayton Kershaw, Puig was their future.

Then came a woeful 2015 season and a chaotic 2016 season. Culminating in the demotion to AAA Oklahoma City. The “strange career arc” had many fans, media members and teammates to give credence to the thought that he’d never again be inside the home dugout at Chavez Ravine.

But then something happened in AAA.

Maturity, a realized passion for the game, a changed approach.

When Roberts found a spark in unheralded Andrew Toles, Puig accepted his role as right-handed pinch hitter and sometimes-starter. This led to hoisting his highest average of the season in September, and becoming, by all means a great teammate.

This off-season, he focused on getting back in shape and reported to Spring Training lighter and quicker than he’d been with the Dodgers.

Roberts is giving him every chance to earn the starting job but is making no promises. Puig has responded thus far in spring with a 1.085 OPS, gaudy enough numbers to be in the MVP conversation, were he to sustain it for a full season.

But he is taking it one game at a time, and with the depth Roberts has in this year’s outfield, the only commitment is that the best players are going to play.

Puig’s talent is undeniable, but he needs to perform to stay in the lineup.

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