If you go back to the beginning of this thread, you seemed to be one of the skeptics.
― clemenza, Sunday, 23 March 2014 20:29 (ten years ago) link
skeptical of what?
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Monday, 24 March 2014 04:30 (ten years ago) link
That he's for real--you seem to be throwing cold water on the idea. Maybe I misinterpreted.
― clemenza, Monday, 24 March 2014 12:18 (ten years ago) link
i was skeptical that he was God
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Monday, 24 March 2014 12:39 (ten years ago) link
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10733609/let-cut-yasiel-puig-some-slack-young-man-antics
― surfbort memes get played out, totally (k3vin k.), Monday, 7 April 2014 03:31 (ten years ago) link
The emigration of Puig.... more complex than the 30-second version.
Puig’s journey, according to claims made in court documents and detailed in interviews, had been underwritten by a small-time crook in Miami named Raul Pacheco, an air-conditioning repairman and recycler who was on probation for attempted burglary and possession of a fake ID. Pacheco had allegedly agreed to pay the smugglers $250,000 to get Puig out of Cuba; Puig, after signing a contract, would owe 20 percent of his future earnings to Pacheco. They were not the first to employ this scheme, a version of which has catapulted many of baseball’s new Cuban millionaires to American shores. It is usurious and expedient, illicit and tolerated. Even if you are as freakishly gifted as Yasiel Puig, there is no humanitarian boat lift delivering you to Chavez Ravine.
Every time the smugglers picked up their satellite phone to call Miami, though, Pacheco seemed unable or unwilling to meet their demands. It was unclear whether he was stiffing the smugglers or whether the smugglers were gouging him. For every day of nonpayment, they upped Puig’s price by $15,000 or $20,000. The calls between Mexico and Florida grew furious. The days turned to weeks. Holed up in that dump of a motel, all four migrants in the same dank room, Puig was so close to the prize—now was not the time to lose faith—and yet having just been liberated, his fate was never more out of his hands. The defector had become a captive.
“I don’t know if you could call it a kidnapping, because we had gone there voluntarily, but we also weren’t free to leave,” said the boxer, Yunior Despaigne, who had known Puig from Cuba’s youth sports academies. “If they didn’t receive the money, they were saying that at any moment they might give him a machetazo”—a whack with a machete—“chop off an arm, a finger, whatever, and he would never play baseball again, not for anyone.”
http://www.lamag.com/features/2014/4/13/escape-from-cuba-yasiel-puigs-untold-journey-to-the-dodgers/print
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 15:56 (ten years ago) link
Aside from the really dumbass way this whole defection "embargo"/ charade has to get done, a lot of Puig's innocence /danger traits remind me of Ruth stories (with the immigrant culture shock layered over them).
also, a stooge and devil:
Puig discovered the round-the-clock comforts of Denny’s, returning day after day for steak and eggs. Flipping channels, he stumbled upon the Three Stooges and spent hours nyuck-nyuck-ing himself silly....On June 3, 2013, a year after setting foot in this country, Puig found himself in the Dodgers lineup for the first time. He wore the number 66 on his jersey, the whimsy of clubhouse manager Mitch Poole, who thought Puig, with his frenetic ways, was “kind of like the Tasmanian Devil.”
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 15 April 2014 18:55 (ten years ago) link
the guy who wrote this article was on Kevin and Bean (KROQ's morning show) and sure was interesting what has and is happening to this guy.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 16 April 2014 03:08 (ten years ago) link
he's on yesterday's BPcast too
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=23311
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 16 April 2014 05:58 (ten years ago) link
just half-assed a fly ball, dropped it, threw to second for a force out
― mookieproof, Thursday, 17 April 2014 20:26 (ten years ago) link
then made a crazy over-the-head catch running towards the wall
puig being puig
― mookieproof, Thursday, 17 April 2014 20:30 (ten years ago) link
http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4316357/Puig-drop.gif
http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4316373/Only-Puig.gif
― mookieproof, Thursday, 17 April 2014 20:54 (ten years ago) link
I wish to sit in the RF stands when I see the Dodgers next
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 17 April 2014 20:57 (ten years ago) link
4-4 with a double and a walk today
― k3vin k., Thursday, 1 May 2014 19:41 (ten years ago) link
and got tagged out at first in the second game of the double header because he 'turned toward second'
http://giant.gfycat.com/UnhappyGiddyJaguar.gif
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Thursday, 1 May 2014 23:25 (ten years ago) link
hes 8 for 8 with 5-6 innings left to play in this one
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Friday, 2 May 2014 00:05 (ten years ago) link
can't wait to see this guy in Queens in a couple weeks
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Friday, 2 May 2014 03:25 (ten years ago) link
day-to-day
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/5/5/5683256/daily-puig-yasiel-puig-crash-collision-dodgers
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 May 2014 15:39 (ten years ago) link
damn he went all in for that catch
― imago all the sheeple (Spottie), Monday, 5 May 2014 15:41 (ten years ago) link
bottom of the 9th, might as well
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Monday, 5 May 2014 15:56 (ten years ago) link
bat flip on routine flyout <3
https://vine.co/v/M6FIdl73zQ5
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 7 May 2014 21:50 (ten years ago) link
i approve of expanding the varieties of bat flip
that was clearly a "ugh whatever who cares" flip
― linda cardellini (zachlyon), Friday, 9 May 2014 05:34 (ten years ago) link
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BniBZGoIMAAemgL.jpg
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 13 May 2014 17:27 (ten years ago) link
http://photos-e.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-prn/10387967_1424758794452108_1505844609_n.jpg
― mookieproof, Friday, 16 May 2014 16:07 (ten years ago) link
Really impressed by his OBP this year--19 walks
― clemenza, Friday, 16 May 2014 19:09 (ten years ago) link
(to finish that thought)...in 163 PA, .416 OBP.
― clemenza, Friday, 16 May 2014 19:11 (ten years ago) link
just threw ball hard back to the infield... after a third-out fly
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 21 May 2014 00:24 (ten years ago) link
:rolleyes:
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 21 May 2014 01:09 (ten years ago) link
he's just lazy is all.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 21 May 2014 03:07 (ten years ago) link
also 3 hits, double, walk
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 21 May 2014 03:36 (ten years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoLke8jCYAA0F6i.png
― polyphonic, Wednesday, 21 May 2014 18:53 (ten years ago) link
roped a hr, dayum
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 22 May 2014 00:44 (ten years ago) link
is there not a 2k14 dodgers thread?
y did i not know dee gordon was tom gordons son
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 22 May 2014 00:59 (ten years ago) link
Still can't hit the damn cutoff.
http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/video/v33076229/ladnym-puig-makes-an-amazing-diving-catch/?partnerId=as_lad_20140522_24504786
― Andy K, Friday, 23 May 2014 00:42 (ten years ago) link
thank god he didn't break his wrist
― mookieproof, Friday, 23 May 2014 01:02 (ten years ago) link
yeah involuntarily winced in anticipation of injury
― anonanon, Friday, 23 May 2014 01:12 (ten years ago) link
plus a 403-foot double and a baserunning gaffe. A splendid first time to see him, with a Mets win.
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Friday, 23 May 2014 03:58 (ten years ago) link
3-3 with two walks tonight: .343/.438/.614.
― clemenza, Saturday, 24 May 2014 02:58 (ten years ago) link
Puig vs. Tulowitzki, neutral parks (Puig hasn't had any games in Colorado yet):
Puig -- .350/.458/.590, 5 HR (Puig is actually slugging 70 points better in Dodger Stadium)Tulo -- .247/.370/.506, 5 HR
Tulowitzki has had 13 PA in Dodger Stadium this year: .083/.154/.333. (Small enough sample to be meaningless, I know.)
Tulowitzki leads Puig in oWAR, 3.3-2.6. Some of that would be positional, I assume, but I'd again ask if there are limitations to how accurately you can adjust for a home park where someone's hitting .521/.600/.959?
― clemenza, Saturday, 24 May 2014 16:15 (ten years ago) link
yeah, see the article i posted the other day in the general chatter thread
― k3vin k., Saturday, 24 May 2014 16:44 (ten years ago) link
best hitter in baseball over the past calendar year
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 27 May 2014 15:11 (ten years ago) link
jesus christ. he was nlpotw last week, followed up with this
Puig was among those in consideration for this week as well, hitting .522/.607/.870 with five extra-base hits.
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Tuesday, 27 May 2014 19:55 (ten years ago) link
FIFTH in all star voting. what the fuck is wrong with everyone?
Yasiel Puig has been the Dodgers' best player, hitting .346/.445/.615 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI. He's fifth among NL outfielders with 383,384 votes, 63,396 votes out of a starting spot. The outfielders ahead of Puig on the ballot are the Rockies' Charlie Blackmon (549,394), reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen (467,378), the Brewers' Ryan Braun (446,780) and NL home run leader Giancarlo Stanton (426,228).
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Wednesday, 28 May 2014 17:25 (ten years ago) link
Coming up on his first 162 games. When he gets there, I want to compare him to Williams, Trout, Pujols, Lynn, and a few others.
― clemenza, Thursday, 29 May 2014 23:01 (ten years ago) link
'If you want to really learn how to flip the bat, here's the maestro' - Vin Scully on Yasiel Puig
― mookieproof, Friday, 30 May 2014 14:00 (ten years ago) link
365 Days of Yasiel Puig
OPS+ wRC+ wOBA BA OBP Slg% OPS G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO169 171 .415 .326 .405 .559 .964 157 669 585 98 191 36 5 30 82 16 12 62 141
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Tuesday, 3 June 2014 17:11 (ten years ago) link
The only thing that surprises me is the runs column--I would normally expect 110-120 for such a high level of play. He's had Ramirez and who else coming up behind him...? Probably mostly beyond his control, with a few baserunning gaffes mixed in.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 18:51 (ten years ago) link
He's either hit anywhere between 1st and 6th so its hard to tell.. He had Hanley but Hanley only played like 55 games last year. Behind him mostly last year was Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier Juan Uribe and AJ Ellis. Kemp was hurt more than Hanley was.
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Tuesday, 3 June 2014 19:10 (ten years ago) link
national league player of the month for may
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 3 June 2014 19:47 (ten years ago) link
Pitching to Puig, Abreu, Springer
"...The statistics of Cuban baseball are beset by issues ranging from inaccurate records to inconsistently maintained fields.
Even with that difficulty, scouts noticed a flaw in Puig’s game. Athletically superb, Puig could catch up to any in-zone fastball and drive it a long way. His perceived weakness was in recognizing and chasing breaking balls. The thought went that by placing lots of breaking balls at the edges of the plate, Puig could be induced to hack wildly at them as they faded away. If this report was to be believed, then the best way to defeat Puig was to challenge his patience by forcing him to watch as outside, breaking pitches laced the edges.
Accordingly, early efforts against Puig consisted of a steady diet of pitches well away from the center of the zone (a metric I measure and call “zone distance”). Zone distance varies by the quality of the hitter: An average hitter sees his median pitch 1.04 feet from the center of his zone, but the top 10 hitters (by TAv) of 2013 saw pitches 1.1 feet from the center of their zones. In the initial 500 pitches that Puig saw, his zone distance was 1.2 feet from the center of the zone, indicating both a healthy fear of Puig’s bat and a lack of confidence in Puig’s plate discipline. Examine the trend in Puig’s zone distance, however, and a downward progression emerges."
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=23846
― son of a lewd monk (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 11 June 2014 07:49 (ten years ago) link