Dodgers: Who Should be the Dodgers Team MVP?

Say what you will about Yasiel Puig, but he was born to play under the Hollywood spotlight. His unique style of play undoubtedly keeps fans on edge and adds another aspect of entertainment to the game. Say what you will about his “hot dog” style of play, but you can’t deny the fact that this man is talented.

Puig had his most complete season of his career this year. The past two seasons, Dodger fans have been beating a dead horse about how he’ll never get back being the same player he was when he first came into the league in 2013.

Well, all that was put to rest this season. Yasiel Puig set a career high in home runs (28), RBI (74), stolen bases (15), walk rate (11.2%), and strikeout rate (17.5%). With the help of Turner Ward, Puig turned his game around and was arguably the Dodgers best hitter throughout the season. He did all this by constantly being moved up and down the lineup.

Along with his much-improved offense, Puig continued to play spectacular defense in right field. Puig was a finalist for a Gold Glove for the first time in his career but fell short to Jason Heyward. Puig has the best arm in baseball and has incredible speed for his stature.

Puig only ranked 5th on the positional players in WAR with a 2.9 rating, but that has to do with his struggles on the bases. I was very impressed with Puig this season and know Puig will continue to improve his game this offseason, so I expect him to work on running the bases a little more.

Puig was a huge unexpected contributor to the Dodgers lineup this season. Fans, the front office, and Dave Roberts all knew what Puig was capable of; it just wasn’t expected this season. Next season Puig has a different narrative to followup. He’ll no longer have to prove doubters wrong, but instead prove supporters right.