Yasiel Puig, Right Field


Date of Birth: 12/7/1990
Birthplace: Palmira, Cuba
Nickname: Wild Horse

Yasiel Puig, a right fielder, played in Cuba before he defected to the United States in 2012. After arriving in the US, he signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June, 2012.

In 2013, Puig caught the attention of baseball fans with his aggressive and energetic playing. In 104 games with the Dodgers, he batted .319 with 122 hits, 21 doubles, and 19 home runs. As a right fielder, he made 148 putouts and 4 errors with a .975 fielding percentage in 93 games.

Puig continued to impress fans in 2014, finishing the season with 165 hits, 37 doubles, 16 home runs, 69 RBIs, 124 strikeouts to 67 walks, and a .296 batting average. Defensively, he made 254 putouts and just 3 errors in 53 games in center field and 91 games in right field. In the postseason, he had 3 hits, 1 triple, and 1 RBI in 12 at-bats in 4 games.

Puig spent time on the DL in 2015 with hamstring issues. He finished the season with 72 hits, 12 doubles, 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a .255 batting average in 79 games. As a right fielder, he made 132 putouts and 1 error in 78 games. He had no hits and 3 strikeouts in 6 at-bats in 3 postseason games.

Puig batted .263 in 104 games with the Dodgers in 2016. He finished the season with 88 hits, 14 doubles, 11 home runs, and 45 RBIs. Defensively, as the Dodgers' right fielder in 90 games, he made 160 putouts and 3 errors. In the postseason, he batted .211 with 4 hits in 19 at-bats in 10 games.

Puig had a good 2017 season, finishing with 131 hits, 24 doubles, career highs in home runs (28) and RBIs (74), 100 strikeouts to 64 walks, and a .263 batting average in 152 games. Defensively, as the Dodgers' right fielder in 145 games, he made 259 putouts and 1 error. In the postseason, he had 16 hits and 10 RBIs in 56 at-bats in 15 games. He hit his first postseason home run in Game 1 of the NLCS. His next home run came in Game 2 of the World Series in the 10th inning for a score of Astros 5, Dodgers 4. He hit his third postseason home run in the ninth inning of Game 5 to give the Dodgers their eleventh run of the game. The Dodgers ended up losing both of those games.

Puig finished the 2018 season with 108 hits, 21 doubles, 23 home runs, 15 stolen bases, 63 RBIs, 87 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a .267 batting average in 125 games. Defensively, as a right fielder in 118 games, he made 171 putouts and 8 errors. In the postseason, he had 15 hits, 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 2 stolen bases, and 8 RBIs in 50 at-bats in 16 games.

The Dodgers traded Puig to the Cincinnati Reds on December 21, 2018. He was traded on July 31, 2019 to the Cleveland Indians. He finished the 2019 season with 148 hits, 30 doubles, 24 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 84 RBIs, 133 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a .267 batting average in 100 games with the Reds and 49 games with the Indians. Defensively, as a right fielder in 146 games, he made 244 putouts and 6 errors.

Puig became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He played only in the Dominican Winter League in 2020.

Puig played in the Mexican League and the Dominican Winter League in 2021.

Career batting statistics for Puig through 2019 include:

  • 861 games played
  • 834 hits
  • 159 doubles
  • 132 home runs
  • 415 RBIs
  • 681 strikeouts to 297 walks
  • .277 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Puig as a right fielder through 2019 include:

  • 761 games played
  • 1,264 putouts
  • 24 errors
  • .982 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Yasiel Puig
ESPN - Yasiel Puig