2 very good years. Peaks and valleys throughout but a great bottom line. 1 bad one. Seemingly (operative word) getting worse. What do you think of Puig? What do you expect him to become? Watching Harper, Trout, Machado, Rizzo, etc. And I be like... I made a thread on Puig now he will win MVP but I'd seriously like to hear what people think of him. He's been disappointing for me. Not necessarily fair to compare him to once in a generation Trout but come on Puig. Other guys are putting it together.
I think that this year will need to be a learning experience for him. From the sounds of it, he had kinda lost his drive in the last year+, but recently it looks like he is taking this drop off seriously. It happens to a lot of folks with god given talent, they think they can get by solely on it. I think he is learning that he is going to have to work and make adjustments if he is going to be an elite talent in the major leagues, hopefully he can find his way again and we can get the Puig of old. I'm not going to be giving up on him anytime soon as he is an immense talent.
It's hard to me to make a big judgement based on this year cause it's the first year he got a semi serious injury and I feel as if we've seen too often in the past where the injury affects them that season more then we think and when they get healthy in the offseason they bounce back great. Perhaps I'm overly optimistic but I still see him make adjustments and have good at bats, he just is missing balls he usually hits hard. I'd be worried if his approach went to shit, he was never walking, and no changes but I don't think that's happened. I don't think he'll end up with a good season this year, though. He might have one good streak in him but I don't think anything like we saw before but I could easily see him the next 3 years putting up seasons similar to his first two. I don't know if better then that, cause that's hard, but yeah
Be worried. In the first half he walked 18 times and struck out 36. So far in the second half he's walked 4 times and struck out 16. First half average = .260, second half = .210. OBP ...- .343/.254. In June he walked 10 times and struck out 16, in July he walked 5 times and struck out 26 in only 10 more PA's. Yeah, I'm concerned.
I don't see how a hamstring injury, obviously repaired at that, causes what he looks like AB. It must weaken him too, since he only infrequently displays warning track power. I don't buy the injury thing...if it were affecting him, then why is he still unbelievable in the OF? And really, this lack of contact started last year,before any injury in 2015.
This is about race, but its not about racism. Its about the difference in the races. Like the difference in the ethnic backgrounds. You got a Puig, a Puig is like a Manny. Latin people spit hot fire, they have a fiery spirit, they are fire. These things are great for team morale, for team spirit. But in sports, in baseball... there is a form of PC that tries to even people out. Or reign them in. Its a type of 'we are all the same' type of shit. We are not. Some people do get special treatment in the 'we are all the same' system. We just pretend they dont. Its ok that people get special treatment. We all are special in different ways. Women are special and deserve special treatment. They are our most treasured resource. As are 5 tool Caribbean studs with personality and charisma coming out their five tools. Puig is a tool, he is a multitool tool... to expect him not to act like a tool sometimes is rather naive. But hey im sure there is a tool for naivete too.
LMAO Mike Trout has "God given talent". He dedicated himself to being the best player he can be. It is all about internal discipline. Trout loves playing baseball. You have it or you don't. If talent "scouts" can't see it. Fire them.
i think @rube is partially right but didn't necessarily make it coherent when your consider this young kid, living in poverty, suddenly handed millions, and then being lauded... that's some pretty serious cultural shock and i agree with @Bluezoo in not buying into the injury hypothesis that said, i do believe the adjustments he (may have) made when he was hurting could be having residual effects no slam on mcgwire, but you have to wonder if a different style of hitting coach might have had him back to normal by now maybe, maybe not all i know is i've seen that superstar potential of his -- we all have and maybe (again, just maybe) it could be skewing our expectations idk, just kinda rambling
Girl falls for an awesome guy, she loves how outgoing and personable he is. Later she comes down on him hard for being awesomely outgoing and personable. Over time the guy unwittingly starts to change his personality and becomes less awesome. Then girl wonders why her guy cant get it up like he used to. And the guy wonders why too. Nobody wins.
So he's just thinking too much? And not whether or not he can hit a curve ball, but whether or not it's ok to flip his bat?
That's damn funny, Rube...well done analogy as far as humor. but Puig isn't a girl, he's a bb player. And what people loved from him initially...his raw power,his slicing line drives, his driving speed when on the bases, along with is drama queen personality, has morphed into something very different. The majority of what's left is the drama queen personality...the offensive juggernaut of recent past? Eh...not so much. The big Ks...the very rare clutch ABs...the silly base running blunders...mysterious lack of power...etc.,etc. Human nature, being what it is, I think what's left would've a lot more tolerable if he didn't nosedive so badly. Just my tuppence.
Oh, and this: no matter what the reason for the reoccurring "flaccidity" Rube has eluded to, he still isn't producing. Anywhere near what he used to...and a team with a BP like ours needs all the O it can muster. Damn, how can you construct a team based on what a guy used to do?
