Ever since Yasiel Puig joined the Dodgers in 2013, the Cuban outfielder has been a polarizing player for both his talent and antics. For Giants fans, Puig is public enemy No. 1.
Imagine if the 26-year-old (Puig turns 27 on Dec. 6) was giving Madison Bumgarner run support with balls over the wall instead of playing his part in bench-clearing shouting matches. That's exactly what Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow has done and he's now all for it.
"I'd have said I don't want him to come near the Giants organization," Krukow said Tuesday on the Murph & Mac Show as to how he used to feel about Puig. "But I think now I'd love to have him in the organization because of what we saw last year, and I think a lot of teams say the same thing about the guy."
Puig burst on the scene as a rookie with 19 home runs in 104 games, finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He followed that up with an All-Star season as a sophomore before disappointing the next two years.
"I think he's finally starting to mature a little bit," Krukow said. "I've been really frustrated with the guy because he's got such incredible tools and I've been pretty critical of him throughout his time in the big leagues.
"Things that I've seen that I just shake my head at, and really quite honestly at times disgust me. To me, there's no greater disgust than a guy that has great talent and watching him not develop or work it out, and he was that type of athlete."
Puig bounced back last season with a .263/.346/.487 slash line and also put together career highs of 28 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 152 games played.
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"Last year he made some strides to become a big leaguer, and I think over a period of time it's going to happen," Krukow says. "As he matures he's realizes he doesn't have much time in this game and you do indeed have to take advantage of it. He is an interesting player."
In five seasons, Puig is now a career .281 hitter with 85 home runs. He has hit .280 against the Giants in 67 career games, including four home runs. Puig's seven-year, $42 million deal is set to end after the 2018 season.
