A week ago, LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote an article that in essence contended that the Dodgers do not need Yasiel Puig to be successful. If that main premise doesn’t stop you in your tracks something is wrong with you. Puig is vital for the Dodgers’ success this season and the idea that they could win without him is asinine.
Plaschke’s main thesis is since Puig went on the DL with a hamstring injury eleven games into the season, the Dodgers have played better and have been just as exciting as when the Cuban phenom was playing. To be fair, the Dodgers were only 6-5 with Puig on the roster and have been 25-19 without him; however, even that fact is weak evidence for his insignificance. Of those games since his injury, the Dodgers have played 25 games against the Padres (5), Rockies (10), Brewers (4), Marlins (3), and Braves (3) – hardly the gauntlet of the National League. Somewhere in there they got swept by the rivals Giants.
So to say the Dodgers have been successful since he left is a little short-sighted. It’s like if Hillary Clinton drops out of the election race and Ted Cruz wins; sure, he still won, but we know what would have happened if she had stuck around. Also, no one can take away those two NBA titles the Houston Rockets won in the mid-90’s, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist (no pun intended) to figure out that Michael Jordan making a fool of himself playing baseball played a part.
Since he took the baseball world by storm in 2013, the Dodgers are 155-104 with Puig in the starting lineup. It is not unprecedented that a team loses its best player and still pulls itself together and plays well. Let’s not forget though – the Dodgers still have a good roster! Adrian Gonzalez is having an MVP-type year, rookie Alex Guerrero has been a nice surprise, and the other rookie Joc Pederson has been miraculous. Also, Puig’s replacement, Andre Ethier, is no slouch. Not to mention having a pitching staff of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke does not hurt. Suffice to say, the Dodgers are deep enough that they don’t feel the absence of one their stars like other teams might.
The Dodgers are a good team and they have high hopes for this season.
The Dodgers have continually faced disappointment in the postseason over the past several years, from losing back-to-back NLCS series to the Phillies in 2008 and ’09, to twice losing to the Cardinals once in the NLCS and NLDS in 2013 and 2014 respectively. This is a team that is on the verge of winning it all right now. Puig needs to play a big part of that.
Granted, Puig has not been the statistical wonder that his first month would suggest he would be. Last year, in 148 games, he hit 16 homers, knocked in 69 runs and hit .296 – not spectacular numbers by any stretch. However, Puig is one of those players where numbers only tell half the story. Having a guy on your team nicknamed “Wild Horse” suggests that he isn’t orthodox and won’t always do the things that you would expect a star to do. He is a little raw and his baseball IQ is lacking at times (but Ben Revere still has a job, so…). However, the energy he brings to the club and to the stadium is incalculable.
Puig is still only 24-years old and is still a relative bargain with a $6.21 million salary this season and he’s not eligible for free agency until 2020. Now is definitely not the time to rid of a guy just entering his prime, especially of his caliber. Mr. Plaschke needs to take his sensationalist journalism and put it on the DL…forever.
