The box score from Thursday night’s spring training game between the Dodgers and Angels at Camelback Ranch shows that Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig went 2-for-3 on the night, with a solo home run and a single to right in the eventual 4-3 Dodgers win.

But for those watching the game on television, they saw that Puig’s home run nearly cleared the back fence past the grass berm and nearly hit the Dodgers clubhouse wall on the other side of the fence. The also saw that his single to right was hit so hard that Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger couldn’t even advance to third base because the ball got to Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun so quickly.

Simply put, Yasiel Puig appears to be absolutely positively locked in at the plate right now and is seeing the ball exceptionally well – and his timing couldn’t be better, with Opening Day now only six days away.

“High drive left field. Forget it. This one is up, it is way up, and it is way gone,” said former Dodger and current broadcaster Rick Monday on the call. “Yasiel Puig with his first home run in spring training and there was not any doubt about it.”

With his two hits on Thursday night, Puig is now 13-for-41 (.333) on the spring, with six doubles and nine RBI.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA – Click on image to view video)

Puig’s round-tripper was one of four Dodgers home runs on the night – all solo shots – with the others hit by Kiké Hernandez, Corey Seager and Bellinger.

And then there’s the intangibles with Puig. Twice during the game, Angels baserunners did not attempt to take extra bases off of Puig’s incredible arm, knowing full well that doing so was sheer suicide. And while this is something that does not appear in the box score or on any baseball analytics websites, it is something that, over the course of a season, will prevent numerous additional runs from scoring; something that Dodgers pitchers are very well aware of and embrace from their oft-controversial and eccentric right fielder.

The Dodgers have two more spring training games in Arizona before returning to Southern California for the annual three-game exhibition Freeway Series against these same Angels on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings, with the first game at the Big-A and the next two at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers then open the regular season with a four-game series against the Hated Ones – also at Dodger Stadium – on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 29, 30, 31 and April 1.

All of this being said, and with what we have seen from Puig over the last week or so, it’s probably safe to say that he is going to have a monster year in 2018.

Play Ball!