Yasiel Puig

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Puig on June 28, 2012, to a seven-year deal worth $42 million.[12] Eddie Oropesa and Tim Bravo, a special-education teacher from Las Cruces High School in New Mexico, helped the newly arrived Puig adjust to life in the United States during his first year.[13] The Dodgers placed him on the 40-man roster and assigned him to their Arizona Rookie League team. In nine games, he hit .400 with four homers and 11 RBI.

On August 13, 2012, the Dodgers promoted Puig to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A-Advanced California League.[14] He played in 14 games with the Quakes and hit .327. After the Quakes season, he was scheduled to join the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, but a staph infection in his right elbow required surgery and sidelined him for several months. After the infection healed, he opted to play winter ball in Puerto Rico to keep his development on schedule.[15]

Puig had a very strong spring training with the Dodgers in 2013, hitting .526 in Cactus League games and having some in the press speculate that he might break camp with the Dodgers. However, he was optioned to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League just before the end of spring training.[16] He hit .313 with 8 home runs and 37 RBI for the Lookouts in 40 games.

Puig in the Dodger Stadium outfield for the 2013 Los Angeles Dodgers

On June 2, 2013, the Dodgers announced that they had recalled Puig from Chattanooga, and he made his debut on June 3.[17] In his first career at-bat, he singled to left-center off Eric Stults of the San Diego Padres. He was 2-for-4 in the game, and showcased his strong arm by recording an outfield assist on a double play to end the game.[18]

Puig hit two home runs, doubled, and drove in five runs in his second game. He became the first Dodger ever to have a multi-homer game in one of his first two appearances. The first home run was off Padres pitcher Clayton Richard.[19] In his fourth game, on June 6, 2013, he hit a grand slam off of Cory Gearrin of the Atlanta Braves.[20] The following day, Puig hit another homer to become only the 2nd player in the modern era (Mike Jacobs in 2005 was the other) to hit four home runs in his first five games, and his 10 RBIs tied the Major League record for most RBIs in the first five games of a career (with Danny Espinosa (2010) and Jack Merson (1951)).[21] Puig was named the National League Player of the Week for the week of June 3–9.[22]

Puig had 27 hits in his first 15 games, tied with Joe DiMaggio (1936) and Terry Pendleton (1984) for second-most all-time behind Irv Waldron (1901) and Bo Hart (2003) with 28.[23] He also became the first player in major league history to record at least 34 hits and seven home runs in his first 20 games and set Dodger records for most hits through 20 games (one more than Gibby Brack in 1937) and total bases through 20 games (58, four more than Del Bissonette in 1928).[24] Puig finished the month of June with 44 hits, breaking Steve Sax's 1983 team record for most hits by a rookie in one month. That total was also second all-time for rookies in their first month, behind only DiMaggio who had 48.[25] In 26 games in June, Puig hit .436 with a .467 on-base percentage and a .713 slugging percentage. He won both the National League Rookie of the Month Award and the National League Player of the Month Award, the first time someone had won both in their first month in the Majors.[26]

Despite his not making his debut until June, Puig received 842,915 write-in votes from the fans for the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. His name was included among the All-Star Final Vote candidates.[27] Puig received 15.5 million votes, second to Atlanta Braves' first baseman Freddie Freeman who received 19.7 million.[28][29]

In 2013, Puig hit .319 in 104 games with 19 home runs and 42 RBIs. He was selected by Baseball America to their annual "All-Rookie team"[30] and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to fellow Cuban José Fernández.[31]

Puig's follow through for the 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers

On May 17, 2014, Puig had his eighth consecutive game with at least one extra-base hit and at least one RBI, which was a new record for the longest streak by a Dodger, surpassing the marks of Pedro Guerrero (1985), Duke Snider (1954), and Howie Schultz (1944).[32] He was selected as the NL Player of the Week for that week[33] and the National League Player of the Month for May after he hit .398 with eight home runs and 25 RBI.[34] Puig was voted and named a starter for the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the youngest Dodger starter for an All-Star game since Steve Sax in 1982.[35] Puig also accepted an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby during the All-Star festivities.[36]

On July 25, 2014, Puig went 4-for-5 with a career-high four extra-base hits, tying the Dodgers' single-game record with three triples, matching Jimmy Sheckard.[37] Puig's teammates Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon each recorded one triple as well, tying the club's single-game triples record of five, set in 1902 and 1921.[38]

Puig finished the 2014 regular season with 16 home runs and 69 RBI, and a .296 batting average. In the 2014 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, Puig struck out seven times in a row over the first three games of the series. He then hit a triple and scored the Dodgers' only run in a 3–1 loss.

Puig was selected to travel to Japan after the season with a team of MLB All-Stars playing against All-Stars of Nippon Professional Baseball in the 2014 Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series.[39]

Yasiel Puig in the outfield for the 2016 Dodgers

Puig began the 2015 season experiencing left hamstring issues that caused him to miss several games. On April 26, Puig was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his major league career, due to his nagging left hamstring.[40][41] He rejoined the Dodgers roster on June 6.[42] On August 18, Puig injured his right hamstring, and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list nine days later.[43] He returned on October 3, appearing in the final two games of the season. He played in a total of 79 regular-season games.[44] He batted .255/.322/.436, and he had 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 3 stolen bases – all career lows.[45]

In the 2016 season, Puig was again hampered by hamstring issues which reduced his playing time and production. He hit .260 with seven home runs in 81 games through the end of July. On August 2, he was optioned to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers when the Dodgers acquired Josh Reddick in a trade to take over the right field position.[46] ESPN reported that Puig was told by the team on Monday, August 1, the day of the trade deadline not to join the Dodgers on the road since he would either be traded or demoted.[47] He rejoined the team in September and hit .263/.323/.416 on the season in 104 games with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs.[48] He batted .211 (4-for-19) with a run scored in 10 postseason games.[45]

On June 13, 2017. Puig made an obscene gesture at Cleveland Indians fans at Progressive Field after hitting a home run.[49] The next day, he was suspended for a game,[50] but he appealed the suspension and it was rescinded. He instead was allowed to make a charitable donation.[51] For the season, he batted .263/.346/.487 with 28 home runs (a career high) and 74 RBI, as well as 15 stolen bases.[45] He received the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for his play in right field.[52] He had a strong start to the post-season, hitting .455 in the 2017 NLDS and .389 with a home run in the 2017 NLCS.[45] In the 2017 World Series, he had only four hits in 27 at-bats (.148 average) as the Dodgers lost the series in seven games to the Houston Astros. Two of his four hits were home runs.[45]

On February 7, 2018 Wasserman Media Group announced that it had "terminated its professional relationship" with Puig.[53] He was without representation until April 2018, when he signed with Beverly Hills Sports Council.[54] On April 28, Puig left a game due to left hip soreness. The injury occurred while he was making a catch against the outfield wall. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day.[55] On August 11, Puig hit his 100th career home run off Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies. On August 14, Puig got into an altercation with Nick Hundley at home plate. He shoved Hundley, causing a bench-clearing brawl. Both Hundley and Puig were ejected. He had the lowest fielding percentage among major league right fielders. In game 7 of the NLCS Puig hit a 3 run home run over the wall to extend the dodger lead 5-1 agianst the Milwakee Brewers In Game 4 of the 2018 World Series, Puig hit a no doubt 3 Run Home Run off of Eduardo Rodriguez to increase the dodgers lead to 4-0. 958.[56]

On December 21, 2018, the Dodgers traded Puig to the Cincinnati Reds, along with Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer, and cash considerations in exchange for Homer Bailey, Jeter Downs, and Josiah Gray. [57] Puig was involved in bench-clearing brawls in each of two Reds losses to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The first one in the top of the fourth inning of a 7–5 defeat at PNC Park on April 7, 2019, resulted in an ejection and a two-game suspension for extending hostilities.[58][59] He reenacted his actions just under four months later on July 30 in the top of the ninth of an 11–4 loss at Great American Ball Park, minutes after news broke that he was going to be traded to the Cleveland Indians.[60]

The three-team transaction sending Puig to the Indians became official the following day on July 31, 2019. The Reds acquired Trevor Bauer from Cleveland, the Indians acquired Scott Moss from Cincinnati and Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, and Victor Nova from San Diego, and the Padres acquired Taylor Trammell.[61] On August 1, 2019, Puig was suspended for three games due to his role in a brawl during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates while playing for the Reds. He did not appeal the suspension, which he served starting on August 12, 2019, against the Boston Red Sox.[62]