6 Reasons Not to Take Yasiel Puig for Granted

Sep 8, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig (66) commits a throwing error in the 6th inning against the San Diego Padres during the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

That arm. We saw his cannon arm explode during his Dodger debut back on June 3, 2013. His weapon of mass destruction has mowed down many runners since, and the league knows not to run on Puig now. So far, Puig has made 23 assists (15 in 2014) over his 244 career games with the Dodgers. 15 assists have been from right field, and 8 assists came after he shifted over to center field last season. He’s only played in 63 games at center. While his raw talent sometimes is lacking precision or polish, it is often hard to remember that Puig will be entering just his third professional season in baseball. Hitting the cut-off man, curbing the errant wild throws and not running into his fellow outfielders are fundamentals of the game Puig continues to work on and is clearly improving in. There’s nothing more exciting than watching Puig throw out Brandon Belt at home plate. I could watch that play on repeat this entire offseason.