We ALL hold out hopes that Puig's mighty physical skills will somehow translate once again to the batting box. the memories of his hitting .340+ while smacking everything hard are hard memories to let fade when the rest of our lineup remains so limp wristed
O K...but I have seen plenty of players, al beit less traumatically, come to this country and perform quite well. Even spectacularly. Our Japanese pitchers past and present, are a prime example. Many pitchers, maybe less for position players. I don't think it's that rare, actually. And he has acted like an asshole on top of it all. I hope you are right about him, and his waiting potential. But I see a guy, aside from the best arm ever, who is a flat out huge offensive disappointment. He has pretty much established himself as a non clutch hitter. Yup. On a different note, I think the possibility that we are witnessing the inevitable decline of Agon's career may be definitely upon us...not just the slump, but the body laguage, almost always. He looks flat out beat, man. On a team that is offensively quite bad, with under performing players up and down the lineup, very weak, with mostly soft contact, how much he meant to us in the recent past is really magnified, sadly.
And it's not about his attitude or discipline or work ethic anymore. It's simply about the play on the field. He has time no doubt to correct that, but the largest concern with him isn't about the outside noise it's just about him not having success offensively
Puig was forced into MLB too early, which flew under the radar because he was busy taking MLB by storm and taking advantage of the opposition's ignorance. He was putting up pretty good numbers in the minors, but he was still unrefined and having maturity issues @ AA when they called on him as basically an emergency option after Kemp and CC got hurt early. They won't have to do the same with Yusniel Diaz, happy about that.
Puig calls Harper his idol; wants more fun in baseball by Mike Oz | Big League Stew — 8 hours ago Are you ready to meet the new duo that baseball fun-haters won't be able to stand? It's Yasiel Puig and Bryce Harper, who on their own inspire fits of rage from baseball traditionalists. Put them together and ohhhh boy. Puig gave a revealing interview to ESPN's Marly Rivera that included a number of highlights, but let's start with this one: Puig said Harper is his idol now and he wants to join the "Make Baseball Fun Again" campaign. We haven't seen a marriage of two constantly vilified people this fantastic since Kanye West put a ring on Kim Kardashian. Here's what Puig had to say to Rivera: Bryce Harper is my idol now. I'm going to join him in the "make baseball fun again" campaign; I'm just waiting to get my shirts and baseball caps. He's always been a great friend and a great athlete, and I admire him. I like how he plays the game, and I think he gets it. It's good to see an American player saying that there needs to be a little more fun in baseball. Fans leave everything behind to come and see us play. We have to make baseball fun for the fans and not take everything so personal. It's not about Harper or Puig making noise about it. In baseball, it is more common for a pitcher to punch you out three times than for you to hit the ball out of the park. So after you have struck out three times against a pitcher and you finally get a home run, bat flips are just an emotional expression — not about taunting the pitcher. That's what Jose Bautista did [in Game 5 of last year's ALDS]; he changed the result of that game with that swing. It was a big thrill for him, and he flipped the bat. He has always been a respectful player and only flipped his bat when he was overcome by emotion. Afterward, he was criticized as if what he did was wrong. But he had fun! Preach it, Puig! With apologies to Bautista, the Harper administration should without question appoint Puig the National Director of Bat Flips and Great Throws. Speaking of those great throws, Puig tackled that in the interview too — plus he talked about getting in better shape and wanting to shred the label of "bad teammate." He said: This year things are better. I think it's because my teammates see the effort that I am putting in every day, which I didn't do before. They see the change in my behavior, and I think it has helped to have better relationships in the clubhouse. My only goal this year is to work hard and give my all, and I want to maybe win the Roy Campanella Award [selected by Dodgers players and personnel for team leadership]. Then people can see that maybe it wasn't all about Yasiel Puig being wrong. While you think up the other members of Bryce Harper's "Make Baseball Fun Again" cabinet, give the whole Puig interview a read. If you're one of those Puig haters, it might just make you change how you think of him.
he's in his 4th year so the comfort/familiarity/trauma card is a bit tired cespedes, chapman and other cubans have had similar paths the bottom line is he's not producing and now spouting off that harper is his idol? great, start hitting like him and it'll be all good but until then, stfu in regards to agon, yes he's struggling but he's also a proven/established player who averaged 28/103 .290/.363/.495 over a 13 year period since his rookie season, puig has declined considerably in all those categories every single year you want to give him a pass, fine but i, like others, am growing weary of the unfulfilled promise
Ces was 26 when he made his debut, Puig was 22. Ces took a speed boat ride to escape Cuba, Yasiel was smuggled. Here was his journey: Since 2011, Puig tried to defect to Mexico five times, in order to become a legal resident so he could become eligible to sign a contract in Major League Baseball.[2] The first time, the police pulled over Puig's car. The second time, the boat failed to arrive. The third time, police raided their safe house and detained them for six days. On the fourth try, the U.S. Coast GuardCutterVigilantintercepted their boat near Haiti. The fifth time, he was successfully taken to Mexico by Los Zetas, a murderous Mexican drug cartel involved in cocaine and smuggling.[5] He went with three companions: a boxer, a pinup girl, and a Santeríapriest. Chapman literally walked out of his hotel into freedom and he isn't an everyday player and a closer so he may not been seen for 4 or 5 days plus he throws gas. Abreu came to this country at 27. Again Yasiel came here at 22 years old. I came to this country from Japan when I was a kid and it wasn't fun I can tell you that I was called so many names and was harassed at school alot. Now imagine adjusting to all the menucia and then trying to hit the best pitching in the entire world and in LA for that matter. Not saying he'll be Ces at 30 but way too damn early to say he cannot turn it around. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_baseball_players_who_defected_from_Cuba
It doesn't bother me that Harper is his idol in the least...that's totally his perrogative I figure. He can idolize Ol Caitlyn if he likes...no sweat off my balls. What tweaks me, I'll admit, is that he sees himself as that important in the scheme of baseball to validate and inspire a "movement" in the game...c'mon, Yasiel. At one time, you may have been inspirational to fans (AB), but now, you're just frustrating. Baseball is fun...you all make millions playing a boys game, about 8 months a year. Best of everything, make loads of money outside the game, you can act like an idiot and always get a pass, probably all the gaysheesh you want...and money forever to use, no matter what. And guys in combat zones make 200 a month? Damn, it's fun as shit, mang...already. Sounds like a blast to me.
This whole Harper thing is over blown because you are right baseball is fun. Yasiel can be frustrating but who isn't? I still love watching him play. Vinny loves watching him too so I will defer to him.
You being harassed at school when you were a kid is hardly anything like what Puig put up with..once he was here, they rolled out the red carpet for him, and licked his taint everywhere and paid him 60 million dollars... They gave him the key to the city, if not the whole country...I know you feel passionate about it, but please with the pity. He like needs to start hitting the ball with authority and get a hit or two with RISP. Now.
Doughty, it's all good. We know he had a tough road. He can act how ever he wants as far as I'm concerned. I just want him to hit a baseball. All the other stuff igaf
Really? There is no pity for a professional player making that kind of money but you cannot ignore the journey. I wan't looking for pity merely pointing out that if anyone on here can relate to what he could be experiencing is me in regards his arrival in a new country. Can you guys? In the end these guys are human but they HAVE to perform as you pointed out but show me a guy on this team right now playing at a high level or doing what you said w/RISP. How many tragic stories are out in the world where a person got too much at once and yes in retrospect you could argue he shouldn't have been coddled but he takes just as much criticism as if not more for his play. Y'all can give up on him that is fine I'm sticking to him!
We all do but this is baseball, as much as he is cold he could get hot fast. I just don't think that hard road should just be dismissed. I'm the only one that thinks this but hey it won't be the 1st time.
again he's going on 4 years and has regressed significantly every year if he was so traumatized he'd be reclusive, and not out getting speeding tickets and getting in night club brawls nope, he's adjusted to living in the usa quite well what he hasn't adjusted well to is playing baseball and now he comes out and says he wants to have fun like bryce harper? fine but instead of focusing on his (and bautistas) bat flips, he should be focusing on becoming a better ballplayer unlike puig, harper has improved every year harper gets a lot of flak for his antics/theatrics, but there is no doubting how hard (and well) he plays the game you want the game to be fun? play better and btw, if he were truly traumatized/uncomfortable how do you explain the first year success? end of rant/
Sheer talent and unfamiliarity duh! The league adjusts and he hasn't THUS far but he did lose weight as requested by the FO. He's done everything the FO has recommended it just hasn't translated to the field. I'm saying there is room for a resurgence mainly because he has matured according to the club but you seem to think otherwise and that is fine. We'll find out.
excuses and more excuses he's not performing well did the front office ask him to get in a night club altercation? yeah, that's real mature of course there's room for a resurgence -- he only has one way to go and btw, what the front office thinks and say publicly are sometimes two different things duh
@irish you know that @Doughty8 is right and you're just frothing at the moment. "IF" he ends the season hitting .230 I'll join you in disgust of his inability to adjust to MLB pitchers.. until then froth less simmer more... He's still a kid
the numbers don't lie he's regressed each/every year... 2013: .319/.391/.534 2014: .296/.382/.480 2015: .255/.322/.436 2016: .235/.285/.383
He was probably pumped full of steroids while he waited it out for a contract. That and the pitchers have gotten smarter, while he's gotten dumber. The guy was fun when he hit. He's Juan Castro now, at a power premium position. Not good enough.
