June 13th, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka By now there are probably a few MLB pitchers who are beginning to have nightmares at the very thought of having to face Dodger phenom Yasiel Puig. Some may even wake up in a cold sweat at the fear of him taking them deep. But there is one pitcher who not only relishes the thought of facing Puig, he actually smiles when Puig drives his pitches halfway up the Pavilions at Dodger Stadium. In fact, this pitchers has served up more home runs to some of the greatest Dodger hitters in history – tens of thousands of them; and he hopes to give up tens of thousands more.
I am of course talking about Pete Bonfils who, at age 61, is still the Dodgers primary left-handed batting practice pitcher – a position that he has held since 1982.
Longtime Dodger batting practice pitcher Pete Bonfils can add Yasiel Puig to the long list of Dodger greats that he has pitched to over the years. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
“Pitching to Puig is incredible,” said an excited Bonfils as he was warming up to throw BP on Tuesday afternoon. “The guy has a perfect swing, possibly the most perfect swing I have ever seen. He is so strong… so powerful. He reminds me of Roberto Clemente because he stands almost straight up and keeps his hands close to his body just like Clemente did.”
“The guy has a perfect swing, possibly the most perfect swing I have ever seen,” says Dodger BP pitcher Pete Bonfils of Yasiel Puig. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Those who have been fortunate enough to watch Puig take batting practice have noticed something about him that they do not notice with any other Dodger hitter – the sound of the bat hitting the ball. It is so unique… so different than that of any other hitter. In my own personal experience, the only other hitter who even came close to duplicating this sound was Manny Ramirez. It’s not just a crack of the bat, it’s a loud, deep crushing sound that is impossible to describe – and it is music to my ears.
“When (Puig) hits the ball the sound is unbelievable, it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before,” said Bonfils.
Perhaps Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti described it best: “You can be standing with your back to the cage when (Puig) hits and you’ll know he’s hitting.”
I asked Bonfils the question that every opposing pitcher, catcher, coach, manager and scout wants to know – Where is Yasiel Puig’s wheelhouse? Where does he like the ball?
“It doesn’t matter,” answered Bonfils. “He’ll take you out middle in or middle out, up or down. He stands off the plate, and I mean way off the plate. When I saw him do this, I pitched him middle in because this is where most guys like the ball during BP. As soon as I did, he backed up even more. It was crazy. But his hands are so fast through the zone and his reach is so long that he gets to balls on the outside corner and drives them to right field with power,” added Bonfils.
This photo, taken a fraction of a second before Puig was hit in the nose by an Ian Kennedy pitch, clearly shows how straight and how far off the plate he stands. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
It is certainly only a matter of time before opposing pitchers adjust to Puig’s hitting and his alien-like numbers will undoubtedly return to earth, but until they do, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
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Can we believe that he is the real thing? Is he going to last? Are the pitchers going to catch up and find his hole, if any? If what Bonfils says is true, he is fast enough to get his hands through on the inside pitch but can still reach the outside pitch to drive it strongly in center or right field even though he is off the plate. That is tough to deal with as a pitcher. Most batters need to crowd the plate a bit to reach the outside pitch but he starts off the plate. As well, he doesn’t appear to be fooled easily with the off-speed or the curve.
Add in the splash that he has made with the bat, his arm, and in the media over the past two weeks and you are going to come across some frustrated pitchers and opposing teams who will want to “welcome him” to the big leagues. That really is why this melee started two nights ago. Puig hadn’t done anything to warrant a message from Kennedy but Kennedy gave him one anyway. There doesn’t appear to be a plan of action against him yet other than chin music or the intentional walk as Atlanta did.
I understand that the D’backs feel that Puig weakness is the high pitch around the shoulders and that’s how Kennedy was pitching when he hit him.
Actually the Dbacks position was to hit him before he hit you. Didn’t work.
Actually it did work better than any other type of pitching plan. It got him tossed from the game(and for sure a suspension)and who knows where that shoulder problem came from last night. I have a feeling it came out of his participation in the melee.