With injuries to three of the New York Yankees key outfielders, could Yasiel Puig make sense for the club on a one-year deal?
After a week and a half of what seemed like hundreds of tests, we now know what is wrong with Aaron Judge. He has a stress fracture of his first right rib and we don’t know what will happen. Surgery is an option but there is still a chance he can avoid it. With Stanton also hurt, the Yankees could use another outfielder, one that has proven himself at this level. Here are three reasons why the Yankees should sign Yasiel Puig.
Proven and solid hitter
Puig has been a solid hitter since he came into the league in 2013. In his seven year career so far, Puig averages a slash line of .277/.348/.475 while hitting on average 25 home runs and driving in 75 RBI’S. Since 2017 Puig’s power numbers have gone up. He has not hit less than 23 home runs in a season since 2017. Puig is also a solid OBP guy and since 2017 he has had an on-base of at least .327 in each year. With Puig, you know what you will be getting with his bat and while he isn’t Aaron Judge, he would be a great fill-in for however long is needed.
Decent fielder that plays all three outfield positions
When Puig was coming up in the minors everyone knew that he had an absolute cannon for an arm. With the loss of Aaron Judge for who knows how long, The Yankees could use someone with a cannon in right. Puig’s best position, in terms of DRS, is right field where he has a total of 28 DRS over 7 years. His best season was 2017 where he had a DRS of 14. Puig also has the ability to play center and left, which would come in handy if anyone else went down and he needed to play somewhere else.
Thrives under pressure
There is no question that Puig can handle the pressure of the bright lights, he played his first six seasons with the Dodgers. It was must-watch TV when Puig made his debut and Dodger fans had high expectations for him. Puig is the type of player that needs pressure in order to not fall apart. When he played with the Reds in the first half of 2019, it happened to be his worst season in terms of on base. Once he was traded to the Indians he seemed to rediscover that fire. But who can forget his huge home run against the Red Sox in the 2018 World Series?
Puig is at his best when the lights are the brightest and the pressure is at its peak. Not only will Puig have no issues handling New York, I truly think it will bring out the best in him.
With how injury-prone the Yankees seem to be, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a flyer on Puig. Maybe the bright lights of New York will bring out that fire that brought out the best in him.
Finally someone writes the truth about YP. Everything in the press has been so negative and pretty much nonsense before this article. I watched him in LA and can’t believe that he has become undervalued by so many. This article is written by someone who knows baseball. Most today just rely on ridiculous made up stats and try to convince themselves that they’ll win on paper. I’ve predicted for years that Yasiel Puig would become a Yankee and win a World Series ring before the Dodgers ever get past their drought. I couldn’t be happier that this might be a possibility now…….
The Yankees should absolutely sign Puig to at least a one year contract. Even if they didnt need someone solid in the outfield due to injury, he be a definite improvement at DH at the very least. The man is a spark plug and its not like other players havent came to the Bronx when everyone thought they were on the downslide and revamped their career for a few extra years like Ichiro, Gooden, Cone, Strawberry. Just to name a few.
Have never been a Yankees fan in my 60+ years, although that would change if they sign Puig. One of the few power hitters with foot speed and absolutely fearless when sliding head first, running down flies on the warning track, or mixing it up during a dispute. He has proven power and undeniable energy and passion for the game.
Everybody wants puig to change and that’s the problem,you have to let him be himself and he’ll bring you numbers like he did in 2013 his rookie year.Analitics are overrated.they don’t show that he saves runs when hitters hit what looks like doubles but they decide to stay at first because he has the strongest arm in baseball.Hated to see him get traded and look my Dodgers made it 2 straight world series with him and got eliminated in 1st round last year,Cody has strong arm but not close to puig.And he’s only 29 he can still break out and have his best year.
Puig is fun to watch and brings excitement just don’t take the kid that’s inside of him.There”s too many miserable players that have played with puig that never appreciated his talents specially Stupid mattingly and roberts.