Editorials

Why Dodgers Fans Love: Yasiel Puig

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a great core of players, and a talented roster. That’s why Dodgers Nation has decided to run a ‘Why We Love’ series, featuring some of your favorite Dodgers players. Our second installment in the series is one of the most decorated and polarizing Dodgers of all-time, the Wild Horse Yasiel Puig. 

Puig is your friend. Yasiel Puig was aptly nicknamed ‘The Wild Horse’ during his rookie season of 2013. His arrival coincided with a meteoric rise by the club during that season. He was called up for his debut on June 3rd of that season – the Dodgers were 24-32 – a long 7.5 games back in the division.



From the first time we saw him, he made sure that he was going to make a dent on our minds. Puig would do something that night to end his first big league ballgame that would ensure that Dodgers fans everywhere love him forever.

It was an age in baseball before seemingly every young star who got called up did record setting things. Notably, Puig was hitting .407 after his first 34 games played. Looking back, it almost seems hard to believe. However, it happened. Puig had a record setting first month in baseball, and was the catalyst driving force behind the Dodgers making the NLCS in 2013.

Since then, there have been many ups and downs. There have been trade rumors, demotions, benchings, rumors of helicopter rides, and everything in between. Such is life with this player. Through it all – he’s remained a true Dodger. The tides have turned with Puig so many times that it feels like he is a cat with nine lives. Like your first love, those special feelings will always remain in there somewhere a little bit. No matter what.

Why We Love Yasiel Puig

  • He licks bats.
  • The tongue wag in the playoffs.
  • Puig plays the game hard – win or lose he plays aggressive baseball the only way he knows how – like there is no tomorrow.
  • He’s almost a 17 bWAR player in his career.
  • Clayton Kershaw realized that Puig is your friend.
  • Puig has the respect of his teammates.
  • His incredible throwing arm and the way he plays right field.
  • He made bat-flips a thing again in baseball. He’s fun and entertaining to watch.
  • Puig is almost sure to try to take the extra base – you don’t want to get up from your seat when he’s on base or in the box.
  • He kept the number 66, because Puig.
  • No player in baseball kisses or flicks their hitting coach’s ears like Puig does.
  • When you watch Puig play, you remember it’s a kid’s game. He plays the game like a big kid.
  • His redemption season in 2017.
  • Puig is by all accounts; good to fans.
  • He uses fluorescent tape on his bat.
  • My favorite Puig moment: he promised us a World Series game seven, and he was right.

Why You Love Yasiel Puig

https://twitter.com/jaymazingwood/status/999423817003843585

https://twitter.com/Phil_PhaReal/status/999341480245260288

Appreciating Puig

In his age-27 season, you have to ask yourself are you appreciating Yasiel Puig? In a number of other big league cities, mountains would be moved for a fan base to have a player who entertains on a nightly basis like Puig. Nevertheless, I’m not sure that there is a city more perfectly suited to showcase him than The City of Angels. Something about Puig rounding the bases with reckless abandon – late in the night after all other games have gone final – seems like the correct synthesis within the baseball world.

He’s all ours, and he’s your friend. If you missed your chance, tell us why you love The Wild Horse in the comments.

Why We Love Justin Turner

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

5 Comments

  1. I love puig because he has weathered a large torrent of critiques that were partially aimed at him for brining a different culture to America’s past time.
    Puig does silly baseball things, but a lot of shade he got because he accumulated loads of accolades in short time, and had nerve to be non-white and not speak English immediately I’m his debut.
    I love Puig because he never calls out this bias, and instead of walking away or complaining, he kept on working hard to get better. A true Hispanic role model who does not throw away his culture in a landndscape that practically dictates that being different is being disrespectful

  2. I’ve loved Puig since the first day I saw him in spring training and heard of his story. Just couldn’t t write this stuff up. Then the talent he displayed made him seem like something out of a fairytale. As a grown man with children he made me feel something forgotten from my own childhood. I was addicted from day one. When I heard about his call up I immediately got tickets for me and my son. I knew we would be witnessing history. His game ending throw from the wall to first base was an unbelievable feat. His resilience since can only be appreciated. No player in my time has ever shown to be so in-human and so human at the same time as Puig has and his ability to keep pushing forward through turmoil and find success is a true example of a good human. No matter where he ends up(hopefully staying with me dodgers for along time!) I’m a fan for life.

  3. HAPPY BIRTHDAY——L.A. DODGER–ANDREW TOLES—–26 YEARS OLD TODAY——-40 MAN ROSTERED PLAYER—COMING OFF THE DL—SINCE APRIL 14th, 2018—— HOPEFULLY SOON—WITH HIS BAT—PUIG HITTING BOMBS——MOVE BELLY-BOMB BACK TO 1ST PLAY TOLZY IN CENTER AND MATT KEMP IN LEFT——-WE REPEAT AGAIN NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPS——THIS TIME WITH TOLES ON ALL PLAYOFF ROSTERS WE WILL WIN A GAME 7—HE WAS OUR MISSING LINK—AGAIN –TOLZY–HAPPY BIRTHDAY—WE LOVE YA!

  4. Puig is just a real hard playing player that plays with pure heart 100%. Love that we have him here in LA. Just keep on making the haters hate you even more. God bless you Puig????

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