Dodgers News: Yasiel Puig Looks To Gonzalez And Uribe For Guidance
Despite having yet to complete a full year at the major league level, Yasiel Puig has continually made headlines for his impressive numbers and eager demeanor. Most recently coming off a 16-game hitting streak, the Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder was named last week’s National League Player of the Week and looks to make a case for Player of the Month.
As a 23-year-old on a team full of experienced veterans, Puig has endless resources and guidance at his disposal. Considering his performance at the plate, the young outfielder says Adrian Gonzalez has been extremely influential via Paul Hagen of Dodgers.com:
“[Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez] is one of the guys who talks to me a lot about when you’re facing pitchers up here with the stuff they have here at the Major League level, it’s tough when you swing at balls out of the strike zone. So that’s one of the things I’ve been trying to work on and obviously the success I’ve had the last month or so hitting strikes has showed up in the numbers.”
His increased discipline at the plate has indeed been apparent in his statistics. In 41 games on the season thus far, Puig is batting .333 with 10 home runs and 37 RBISs with most of his success stemming from this month. In 22 days of May, the right fielder has raked in an astounding .403 batting average with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. To put things into perspective, Puig has hit 29 career home runs and close to a quarter of them have been hit during this month.
Aside from being the playful friend to goof off with, Juan Uribe is another one of Puig’s teammates who has given the right fielder guidance when he needed it most. Puig has stated that the third baseman has been encouraging when he has been down on himself especially in regards to base running and fielding mistakes.
It seems as if driving recklessly and showing up to the ballpark late is well in the past as Puig is showing signs of maturity on and off the field. Although one should not expect Puig to turn down the feisty attitude, fans are beginning to see a young outfielder who is equally as eager to eliminate his mistakes as he is to flip his bat.
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Dodgers Update: Yasiel Puig’s Hitting Streak, Maturity And Bat Flipst
