DODGERS The ♥PUIG♥ Thread

continued...

Aug. 28, 2013 | THE BENCHING

Eight days later, Mattingly pulls Puig mid-game against the Cubs for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. After the game, Puig meets with Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti in Mattingly's office for about 30 minutes.

"I always give my best but, honestly, today there was some fatigue and I wasn't prepared.

"The meeting was good. [Mattingly] explained what every ballplayer has to do on the field, not only me but every ballplayer. We have to give 100 percent on the field, even if we're tired or if we're playing in games like today. We've got to give 100 percent to help the team. If I'm in the lineup Friday I'll give my best effort and if not I'll wait until I can help."
-- Puig

Sept. 29, 2013 | THE REGULAR SEASON ENDS

The Dodgers win 66 games after Puig's call-up and take the NL West title by 11 games over the Diamondbacks. Puig bats .319/.391/.534 with 19 homers, 66 runs and 42 RBIs in 104 games. In the field, he records eight assists but makes five errors.

Oct. 14, 2013 | THE PREMATURE HOME RUN CELEBRATION

Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran objects to Puig's celebratory antics (the bat toss, the pause to watch, the raised arms) on a triple during Game 3 of the NLCS, a 3-0 Dodgers win.

"As a player, I just think he doesn't know [how to act]. That's what I think. He really doesn't know. He must think that he's still playing somewhere else. He has a lot of passion, no doubt about that -- great ability, great talent. I think with time he'll learn that you've got to act with a little bit more calm."
-- Cardinals RF Carlos Beltran

"It's Puig, man. He's been doing it all year. I mean, I know it's one of those things where a rookie probably shouldn't be doing that kind of stuff. But they love it around here. So I guess it's OK."
-- Dodgers OF Carl Crawford

Oct. 18, 2013 | THE POSTSEASON BLUNDERS

Three defensive miscues by Puig -- a pair of wayward throws and a fielding bobble -- result in two errors in Game 6 of the NLCS, a 9-0 season-ending loss to the Cardinals.

"Yasiel gets excited. He's going to try to make plays all the time, and that's the way he is. But we've got to do a better job, I think, of helping him to mature and understand what we want done and the way to do it."
-- Mattingly to MLB.com

"The one thing that stood out was that every run, every at-bat, every play in the field needs to be very important. You have to make sure you do your best to be good."
-- Puig to MLB.com

Nov. 11, 2013 | THE RUNNER-UP

Puig finishes second in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Marlins phenom Jose Fernandez.

Dec. 28, 2013 | THE FLORIDA SPEEDING ARREST

Puig is arrested on a reckless-driving charge after Florida Highway Patrol officers allegedly clock him going 110 mph in a 70 mph zone. (The Florida state attorney's office later drops the reckless-driving charge due to a lack of sufficient evidence, but the speeding ticket still stands.)

"We have spoken to Yasiel and made it clear that we, as an organization, are very disappointed in his recent behavior. This is a very serious issue to us and we will continue to educate him and strive to further develop his growth off the field and as a member of this community."
-- Dodgers statement

Jan. 9, 2014 | THE DECISION TO STOP DRIVING

After picking up his second speeding ticket in eight months, Puig decides to stop driving.

March 25, 2014 | THE TEAM MEETING

A frustrated Mattingly calls a team meeting to clear the air following Puig's miscues in the Dodgers' season-opening series in Australia.

"I asked them to please keep helping me. Specifically with baserunning and hitting my cutoff man. I want them to help me with everything they can."
-- Puig

"I think it says a lot about Yasiel and his character that he wanted to have a meeting. He wanted to get out in front of this and he wanted to have himself held accountable to his teammates ... and it's up to us to help him in that maturity process."
-- Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis to the Los Angeles Daily News

April 4, 2014 | THE SECOND BENCHING, FOR BEING LATE

Puig is scratched from the lineup for the Dodgers' home opener after showing up late for BP.

"I asked [Mattingly] for forgiveness as well as my teammates. It was my mistake. I'll be here early tomorrow."
-- Puig

"He felt bad he wasn't here, and I believe that. He's a good kid. Does he have to grow up and get better? Yeah, but there's a lot of guys like that."
-- Mattingly

April 16, 2014 | THE THREATS

Puig issues a statement on the reports he received threats from the human traffickers who orchestrated his defection from Cuba to Mexico.

"I'm aware of the recent articles and news accounts. I understand that people are curious and have questions, but I will have no comment on this subject. I'm represented on this matter, and I'm only focused on being a productive teammate and helping the Dodgers win games."
-- Puig

May 9, 2014 | THE (GIANT) CONFRONTATION

Puig's 431-foot solo home run and accompanying bat flip irks Giants starter Madison Bumgarner, who plays coy in a tongue-in-cheek postgame interview.

"I was just congratulating him. That was a really good swing. That was pretty impressive. I don't know why everybody got so mad. It escalated quickly for no reason. I think he said, 'Thank you.' I'm not sure if he did. I don't speak Spanish very well."
-- Bumgarner

Fellow Giants starter Tim Hudson said he didn't mind the bat flip at all.

And Mattingly says it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"He hit it, he flipped and he ran. I'm not quite sure what he's upset about. You see guys do stuff every day."
-- Mattingly

May 13, 2014 | THE LAWSUIT

Puig seeks dismissal of a $12 million lawsuit in which an incarcerated Cuban citizen blames the Dodgers outfielder for his imprisonment and subsequent torture.

May 22, 2014 | THE CATCH, AND THE CRITICISM

In a 5-3 loss to the Mets, Puig makes a great diving catch in right-center. But Mets pitcher Carlos Torres isn't impressed, and is among those who don't care for Puig's style of play.

"For me, personally, I'm a ballplayer. I'm an athlete. I am a guy who actually enjoys the game and competing. I don't care to watch him. If you look at [Jason] Heyward's catch where he was flying through the outfield, laying out, he actually made a way better catch than Yasiel Puig's. And that was earlier in the season. But since it's not Puig, nobody cares. No one is paying attention.

"If you watch him before a ball is hit, he's just standing straight up and down. Maybe he might bend over once or twice. And he's almost never ready to field the ball. So when you're watching stuff like that, you just sit there, let him do what he does, and go from there and try to get him out when he's hitting."
-- Mets P Carlos Torres to SiriusXM

May 26, 2014 | THE BEST

As Puig's one-year anniversary approaches, Mattingly proclaims Puig the best at his position.

"We feel like, right now, Yasiel is the best right fielder in baseball. This guy dominates right field. The way he plays right field, he really stops the running game from first to third."
-- Mattingly

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Yasiel Puig: the only position player on the Dodgers worth watching... and barely anyone can watch him.

 

his quotes were probably taken out of context

 

should be noted that yahoo's tim brown posted his puig story several hours before any of the espn hacks...

Year of the Puig​

Dodgers exuberant outfielder finds happiness among his young fans​

By Tim Brown | Yahoo Sports -- 17 hours ago​

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LOS ANGELES – Because he makes so much of them, and occasionally a bit of a scene in them, each moment of Yasiel Puig's professional life is run through the public wringer. And yet, in the top of every inning at Dodger Stadium, from his place not far from the right-field foul pole, he hears the children call his name. As much as any, those are his moments.​

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Amid the noise. More, through the noise. Their innocence – maybe it's his innocence, too – draws him. To the sandlot fields in East L.A. The children's hospital off Sunset Boulevard. A park that happens to be on his way. To the railings in the ballpark, where they look at him the way he once did Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols on a television from very far away.​

​

He arrived a year ago today. To show for it, across 156 games, he is a .329 hitter with 30 home runs, a .407 on-base percentage and a .970 OPS. Don Mattingly recently called him the best right-fielder in the game and almost no one argued, a rarity in matters of Puig. He is showy, bat-flippy, sometimes reckless, often loud, usually on time and more often than not the best player – at least the most captivating player – on the field, all of which together has made for an interesting year of the Puig. Once, they wondered what havoc he might bring to the Dodgers. Now, they try not to think about where they'd be without him.​

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And Puig, well, he keeps showing up, playing his game, the sole constant in a five-man outfield that hasn't yet found its bearings and for a team that has played beneath its expectations. His game is tighter. For one, he's swinging at about half the pitches out of the strike zone that he did as a rookie. The enthusiasm remains, and sometimes that finds him hopelessly trapped between bases, or clearing 300 feet worth of cut-off men, or heroic in the conclusion, but the drama seems to suit him, and L.A. has fallen for him, and the tiny voices make him happy to be among them.​

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"I always have a good time playing with them, playing baseball," he said. "When I was a kid I didn't get the opportunity to play with big leaguers. I'd just see them on TV. I want to give kids the opportunity to get to know a big leaguer, to get to know me. So if they hear my name or see me on TV they can feel proud to say, 'I know him. I know a big leaguer.' Something I never experienced."​

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Just Sunday afternoon he posed for some 350 photos with fans, many of them children, at Dodger Stadium. In return, he asked for a donation. Whatever the people felt it was worth to them – a dollar, a pocketful of change, sometimes just pennies – filled a jug, was matched and sent to a recreation center in East L.A. so it could buy baseball uniforms and gear for the children of the neighborhood. Puig held babies, wrapped entire families in his arms, and laughed with the shy little boys and girls.​

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This helps define his year in L.A., too. The underhanded pitches to young boys on the Dodger Stadium infield in December. The amateur photos of him on a rutty field in some little park hardly anyone's heard of. The game of catch with Hanley Ramirez's 6-year-old son before Monday's batting practice. The three visits to a children's hospital that doesn't have a baseball field and never will, but is home to too many young fans.​

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It's as if they understand him better than anyone, and he them, and the game is their language, and the way he plays it – with life, and determination, and even desperation – is how they would if they could. Someday, maybe. Someday.​

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"I can hear them," he said. "It all makes me happy. I wish I could say hello back, acknowledge them when I'm out there in right field. But if I do acknowledge them it could affect my work. It could possibly cause me to make an error and cost us the game, but I like it."​

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He laughed at that.​

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"I know they can watch me on TV," he said, "but I like to see kids who I know can't come to games, because they love baseball just as much even though they can't be here. That's why I like to go see the kids who are in the hospitals. To show them I'll go to them because they can't come here and they like baseball too. I like to help kids who don't have resources to play because when I was a little kid I didn't have the stuff I needed to play baseball."​

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During the debates on the player he should be, Puig was likely to be home, playing video game soccer against his cousin Ramon. Puig is always Real Madrid. Ramon is almost always Manchester City. Or, he could be on the phone with his sister, who last week graduated high school in Miami. His mother sent pictures.​

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"It looked very nice," he said. "I hope she continues to study, to do well in school, so she can reach the goals she has for herself."​

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Maybe, during a year of so many picking over his game, Puig could have been found at the locker of Hyun-jin Ryu, his good friend, "that crazy Korean," he said, or in a protracted conversation with Adrian Gonzalez.​

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"Everything Adrian has told me has helped me in my first year in the big leagues," Puig said. "He was always offering advice. But, you know, I didn't pay much attention to him at first. Not until about the end of last season did I start listening. And thanks to him, thanks to what he's taught me has served me this year and up to today. I'm very grateful and I always want to play by his side, on the same team. And if one day he retires and I'm still playing, I hope he still gives me advice."​

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So, I asked, a year in, does he like his life here? Is it what he wants? The team, the game it plays, the city it represents, the people it draws, those little voices in right field, do they suit him?​

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He shook his head no, then laughed.​

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"Yes," he said. "Yes. I like playing with the Dodgers and hope, if God permits it, that I can stay here my entire career. We'll see if that happens. I'm just going to keep doing my best on the field, off the field, bettering my discipline, doing things right. So I can keep playing here."​

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His can be the loudest voice in the clubhouse. From the corner nearest the door, it carries to the corner farthest from the door.​

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"Oye," he calls. "Oye!"​

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Listen up. Listen up! The children are speaking. His moments.​

​

"It all makes me happy," he said.​

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Puig leaps into lead in NL outfield voting
Tulowitzki remains top vote-getter, Stanton moves up in OF, race at 1B tightens
By Joey Nowak | MLB.com

The closest races from last week's National League All-Star ballot update took a turn over the course of the past six days, with shakeups occurring at the top outfield spots and in the race at first base.

The leader at each infield position -- including catcher -- remained the same, but Dodgers star Yasiel Puig (935,276) made an astronomical jump from fifth to first in the outfield voting. He now leads a field that includes Charlie Blackmon (last week's top outfield vote-getter, now with 883,186 votes) and Giancarlo Stanton (863,307) as the outfielders currently in position to start.

Stanton leads the league in home runs (16) and RBIs (51).

Defending NL Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen (823,862), who was in second place last week, is on the outside looking in, and the Brewers' Carlos Gomez (819,385) occupies the fifth spot. His teammate Ryan Braun (750,672) is in sixth. The top three last week were Blackmon, McCutchen and Braun.

The only other significant flip-flop came in the race for first base, which was a close one last week. The Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez (647,826) still leads, but it's Colorado's Justin Morneau (525,614) who is now in second place ahead of Atlanta's Freddie Freeman (511,177), who occupied the No. 2 spot last week.

The top overall vote-getter remains Rockies superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (1,419,718), who jumped out ahead of the field early in the voting and maintains a huge lead that is approaching one million. He and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (1,210,579) are the only two NL players who have received more than one million votes. Tulowitzki -- who led the league in batting average (.350) and WAR (4.5) entering play on Tuesday -- remains the top vote-getter in either league, just ahead of the Angels' Mike Trout (1,361,649) and the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista (1,351,896).

Fans can cast their votes for starting position players at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- online or on a mobile device -- using the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Experian until Thursday, July 3, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 2014 All-Star Game will be played at Target Field on Tuesday, July 15.

Fans may submit up to 25 online ballots, but they can also earn a one-time bonus of 10 additional online ballots. To access these additional online ballots, you must be logged into your MLB.com account when you submit any online ballot. If you do not have an MLB.com account, register on the site in accordance with the enrollment instructions for a free MLB.com account.

Aside from the outfield, the closest NL race is at third base, where Colorado's Nolan Arenado (590,745) continues to lead the pack. But David Wright (565,982) of the Mets moved into second place and is on his heels, followed by the Brewers' Aramis Ramirez (472,321), the Giants' Pablo Sandoval (463,050) and the Dodgers' Juan Uribe (436,776).

Both Arenado and his teammate Blackmon are aiming for their first All-Star appearances.

As was the case last week, the Phillies' Chase Utley (974,196) has a solid lead for the starting second-base spot ahead of the Dodgers' Dee Gordon (530,289). Meanwhile, the Giants' Brandon Crawford (446,937) and Buster Posey (766,356) have quite a ways to go to catch front-runners Tulowitkzi and Molina, respectively.

Fans this year once again can participate in the Home Run Derby Fan Poll. Fans will have the opportunity to select three players in each league who they would most like to see participate in the Home Run Derby. The 2014 Home Run Derby will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio in the United States beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.

The 2014 American League and National League All-Star teams will be unveiled on the 2014 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show during the weekend of July 5-6, with further details to follow on MLB.com. Immediately following the announcement of the AL and NL All-Star rosters, fans can begin voting to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Experian. Fans will cast their votes from a list of five players from each league over the balloting period.

And the voting doesn't end there. The final phase of All-Star Game voting will again have fans participating in the voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. During the Midsummer Classic, fans will vote exclusively online at MLB.com via the 2014 All-Star Game MLB.com MVP Vote Sponsored by Pepsi, and their voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.

MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities.

The 85th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTE LEADERS

CATCHER
1. Yadier Molina, Cardinals: 1,210,579
2. Buster Posey, Giants: 766,356
3. Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers: 522,310
4. Evan Gattis, Braves: 388,548
5. Devin Mesoraco, Reds: 258,528

FIRST BASE
1. Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers: 647,826
2. Justin Morneau, Rockies: 525,614
3. Freddie Freeman, Braves: 511,177
4. Paul Goldschmidt, D-backs: 490,659
5. Brandon Belt, Giants: 421,900

SECOND BASE
1. Chase Utley, Phillies: 974,196
2. Dee Gordon, Dodgers: 530,289
3. Neil Walker, Pirates: 365,050
4. Brandon Phillips, Reds: 304,541
5. Daniel Murphy, Mets: 298,611

THIRD BASE
1. Nolan Arenado, Rockies: 590,745
2. David Wright, Mets: 565,982
3. Aramis Ramirez, Brewers: 472,321
4. Pablo Sandoval, Giants: 463,050
5. Juan Uribe, Dodgers: 436,776

SHORTSTOP
1. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies: 1,419,718
2. Brandon Crawford, Giants: 446,937
3. Jean Segura, Brewers: 403,259
4. Hanley Ramirez, Dodgers: 366,355
5. Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals: 347,854

OUTFIELD
1. Yasiel Puig, Dodgers: 935,276
2. Charlie Blackmon, Rockies: 883,186
3. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins: 863,307
4. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates: 823,862
5. Carlos Gomez, Brewers: 819,385
6. Ryan Braun, Brewers: 750,672
7. Justin Upton, Braves: 556,305
8. Angel Pagan, Giants: 536,006
9. Michael Morse, Giants: 501,711
10. Hunter Pence, Giants: 463,266
11. Matt Holliday, Cardinals: 406,720
12. Michael Cuddyer, Rockies: 357,277
13. Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies: 332,600
14. Khris Davis, Brewers: 329,744
15. Bryce Harper, Nationals: 314,860

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totally obsurb
abtuse too

 

i'll merge all these puig threads eventually
but for now they're all thread worthy

Sensational Puig earns NL Player of Month Award
By Joey Nowak | MLB.com​

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Yasiel Puig earned his second career National League Player of the Month Award for his performance in May, leading the Majors with a .398 batting average and a .492 on-base percentage.

Puig was voted the NL Player and Rookie of the Month last June, his first month in the Majors.

Over 28 games last month, Puig led the league with 43 hits, setting a new Los Angeles record for hits in May. He also led the NL in RBIs (25), slugging percentage (.731), extra-base hits (19) and total bases (79). Puig's eight homers tied the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton for the league lead, and his 20 runs scored was tied for fourth.

Puig reached base safely in each of his 28 games last month, recording a hit in 26 of them. He doubled 10 times and stole four bases, carrying the Dodgers to 15 wins in the month as the team led the league with 276 hits and 139 runs scored.

Puig, who had 12 multihit games in the month, is currently tied for the Major League lead with 22 overall this season. Over eight games from May 9-17, he recorded at least one extra-base hit and one RBI. Puig also posted a career-high 16-game hitting streak from April 30-May 18.

Joey Nowak is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @joeynowak. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.​

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Really, only Puig deserves it.

I'm kind of surprised Agon is there.

 

great movie

 

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/647926...king-tech/?partnerId=as_lad_20140613_25949996