RADIO
Yasiel Puig Starting To Show Signs Of Superstardom
7 years agoThe Yasiel Puig show delivered another exciting season in 2017. One of the most frustrating and polarizing players, Puig showed (once again) a glimpse of what his ceiling could be in the Dodgers’ championship season. When he wasn’t licking his bat or kissing his batting coach, Puig became a (gasp!) more patient hitter. He nearly doubled his walk rate (from 6.5% in 2016 to 11.2% in 2017) and cut his K-rate (from 20.1% to 17.5%). Couple that with an increase in his ISO (from .153 in 2016 to .224 in 2017) and you’ve got an unsurprising boost in OBP (.323 to .346), slugging (.416 to .487), wOBA (.320 to .349) and wRC+ (.320 to .349). Puig delivered career highs in HR (28) and RBI (74), but that appears to be only the beginning as his medium and hard hit rates have been climbing over the last two seasons. He still has a way to go before he regains his rookie form, but the patience is a great signpost for future stardom. If he hits like he did in the second half of 2017 for a full season, we could be talking top twenty fantasy OF. Dave Roberts even had enough confidence in Puig to bat him cleanup for parts of the season. Draft him accordingly and strap in for a ride on The Wild Horse.
