Well, what can I say.
Writers would have had a hard time scripting a better debut for Cuban rookie sensation Yasiel Puig in his first appearance with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Well, I suppose if Puig would have hit a homerun, that would have been pretty impressive as well. Having said that, we saw 4 of the 5 tools scouts have raved about Puig possessing, and he definitely didn't disappoint.
Let's review those tools.
He made contact in every plate appearance of the night, going 2 for 4 as the Dodger's leadoff hitter, a bold move by manager Don Mattingly given the pressure Puig must have already been feeling in his first Major League start. This ability to make contact at a high rate will be crucial to maintain as long as he is leading off (which will probably be the case until Carl Crawford returns from the 15-day DL).
Not only did he make his presence known at the plate, but also on the basepaths. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Puig reached base on his second hit of the night, a ground ball deflected by San Diego's first baseman Kyle Blanks that ended up in shallow right field. Punto then came to the plate and lined a base-hit to center field that looked as though it would hold Puig to advancing just one base. The Cuban rookie showed how he was able to steal 13 bags for the Lookouts though, as he picked up his stride coming around second and steamed into third base, seemingly outrunning a pretty solid throw from San Diego's center fielder Alexi Amarista.
We saw quite an offensive show from Puig, but what about his defensive skills? I assure you, he did not disappoint in this area of his game either. In the top of the ninth inning, with Chris Denorfia on-base (and the crowd holding their breath giving Brandon League's recent performances), Kyle Blanks ripped one deep into right field. Puig showed great outfield instincts as he drifted back onto the warning track, all the while keeping his eyes focused on the fly ball, making the difficult catch with little room to spare between his back and the outfield wall. It didn't end there, as he set his feet and threw one of his "Cuban Missiles" to Adrian Gonzalez at first, catching Denorfia a few inches too far off the bag as it would turn out, resulting in a game ending double play.
The stadium roared in applause, and Chavez Ravine came alive in a way seldom seen so far this season. I personally jumped up from my couch and proceeded to scream and shout like a little kid, as I'm sure many other fans did when watching the play unfold.
In Yasiel Puig's debut, he showed off his ability to make great contact at the plate, displayed his electric speed on the basepaths, successfully gloved everything hit in his general direction, and most impressively, let loose a throw unlike anything I have seen from a Dodger's right fielder in a long, long time. Puig's power may not have been on display in his first game, but being a "dead pull" fastball hitter, it would have been very unlikely to see him go yard against a slow throwing, crafty left-handed pitcher like Eric Stults.
When a highly touted prospect finally makes their major league debut, it doesn't always turn out the way fans envisioned it would, luckily in the case of Yasiel Puig and Dodger fans everywhere, his performance was nothing short of fantastic and mesmerizing.
Tomorrow evening the Dodgers will square off against San Diego in the second game of the three game series, facing struggling left-handed starter Clayton Richard who sports a record of 1-5 and an inflated ERA of 7.86. First pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM PT.
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