Yasiel Puig

[cy4prez7]

I listen to Colin Cowherd just about everyday on ESPN radio and he's been raving about Puig since the day of his first game. This led me to follow Puig's start to his career and I don't watch baseball but he has absolutely demanded my attention. I think the kid deserves the fan vote even if he only has 30 games. What do you guys think?

 

[tm3308]

I'd certainly be tempted to vote for him. Especially since the pool for the NL isn't as strong as the AL, because the AL got hosed by the Astros and have Evan Longoria, Josh Donaldson and Adrian Beltre on the outside looking in. Puig will almost certainly win the vote, but I'd give long looks to Adrian Gonzalez and Ian Desmond.

I'm just not all that comfortable making a guy an all star when he's got such a small sample size.

 

[shagcarpetjesus]

I don't know about "deserving" the fan vote, but I do like that baseball has the fan vote mechanism to decide his fate. I would have no problem with him being in the game. Despite the whole home field advantage aspect of the game (great idea there Bud!), the ASG is an exhibition game plain and simple. If the fans want somebody like Puig to participate, then he should be there.

I can also understand the argument that no matter how exciting Yasiel's career has been to this point, you can't really call him an All-Star after just 1 month of games. Just as an illustration, here are the slash lines for the beginning of the careers of two different players

Player A: .342/.379/.632 (first 43 games of career)
Player B: .407/.435/.683 (first 31 games of career)

Player B is obviously Puig if you've been following him closely. Player A is another guy though who took baseball by storm when he debuted. He was an SI cover boy and the media went ga ga over him as well. But much like Puig, he was a guy who never really figured out that you don't have to swing at every pitch the pitcher throws up there. Player A is Jeff Francoeur.

Every once in a while a guy like Vlad comes along who can have an impressive career while swinging at almost anything. But most guys can't sustain an entire career with a hack-and-slash approach. If I was a Dodger fan, Puig's 5 to 29 BB to K ratio would have me worried about his long term prospects.

All that being said, I think I'd actually like to see Puig in the ASG. He's undeniably exciting right now and baseball needs to do more to cash in on the players that have that "wow" factor.

 

[Doc]

I like that he's up for the fan vote and hope he gets in. I don't think he deserves it, but the All-Star game selection process has larger issues in my opinion.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

I like that he's up for the fan vote and hope he gets in. I don't think he deserves it, but the All-Star game selection process has larger issues in my opinion.

I agree. Having a player from every team in a game that baseball has decided should determine home field advantage in world series is a joke. If I'm a national league franchise I want a player who can help my team win this game.

 

[CyCy]

The ASG I pretty much a popularity contest, Puig is as popular as any new player this year so he is probably an OK pick. Just a quick example on how the ASG is an unrealistic measurement for players. Robin Yount (first ballot HOF) was only selected for 3 all star games and wasn't even picked in 1989 when he was voted league MVP. Steve Garvey was picked 10 times.

 

[Wesley]

Jason Kipnis, Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, and Hanley Ramirez are doing better in last month. Yasiel is 23rd in production according to Fantasy CBS Sports. That said, I have him on my rotisserie team.

 

[candg4ever]

I'm a die-hard Dodger fan, so my views may be a little skewed, but this kid is the real deal! His stats for the first month of his season are amazing. He's still hitting over .400, drives in runs, fields his position well, and runs the bases with reckless abandon, (not always a good thing). He's mostly responsible for the Dodgers' recent turnaround. Only 2 wks. ago, they were in last place, and everyone was screaming for Mattingly's head, now they're in second place, only 3 1/2 games out with a week until the all-star break!! They're playing the first place D-backs right now, (Dodgers won last nite 6-1), with a realistic chance to go into the break in first place!!

I don't remember when one player so early in his career has made such a contribution! This guy deserves all the props he's getting and more, some of the things he's accomplished haven't been done in a century!!

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

Puig said (through a translator) that he doesn't care if he is voted to the ASG, winning is all that matters.

The idiots who cried about Trout not winning MVP last year are the same ones saying Puig doesn't "deserve" it. Baseball needs more guys like Puig.

 

[CloneIce]

He is a stud. Hopefully he doesn't end up like Jeff Francoeur who had a similiarly amazing beginning to his career. Has SI jinxed him by putting him on the cover yet?

 

[AdamJGray]

I'm a die-hard Dodger fan, so my views may be a little skewed, but this kid is the real deal! His stats for the first month of his season are amazing. He's still hitting over .400, drives in runs, fields his position well, and runs the bases with reckless abandon, (not always a good thing). He's mostly responsible for the Dodgers' recent turnaround. Only 2 wks. ago, they were in last place, and everyone was screaming for Mattingly's head, now they're in second place, only 3 1/2 games out with a week until the all-star break!! They're playing the first place D-backs right now, (Dodgers won last nite 6-1), with a realistic chance to go into the break in first place!!

I don't remember when one player so early in his career has made such a contribution! This guy deserves all the props he's getting and more, some of the things he's accomplished haven't been done in a century!!

I'd probably credit Hanley Ramirez more for the recent turn around but there is no doubt that Puig has been great and fun to watch. I wouldn't mind it at all if Puig made the all star game

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

I'd probably credit Hanley Ramirez more for the recent turn around but there is no doubt that Puig has been great and fun to watch. I wouldn't mind it at all if Puig made the all star game

Yasiel gave us Dodger fans a glimmer of hope and sparked the team. Hanley added to it. It helps having a mostly healthy lineup too.

 

[thatguy]

baseball needs him in the ASG. Does he deserve it? Probably as much as some slacker for the Marlins or the Astros or the White Sox does. I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to baseball, but the game needs stars like him.

 

[jbindm]

It's win/win from a competitive and fan interest standpoint. He's sparking interest among casual fans like myself, so why wouldn't you want a guy like that participating instead of some random player who's having a decent first half? And from a competitive standpoint, since the game does decide home field advantage for the World Series, wouldn't a manager want one of the hottest bats in the league right now as an option?