November 20th, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka When a then 22-year-old Yasiel Puig hit the baseball scene at Dodger Stadium on June 3, 2013, he bought with him an excitement and enthusiasm that the baseball world had not seen in decades – or ever. In fact, in his Major League debut, he went 2-for-4 as the Dodgers leadoff hitter in their eventual 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres.
The following night, June 4, 2013, Puig would go 3-for-4, with two home runs – the first two of what would end up being 108 in a Dodgers uniform – with five RBIs in the Dodgers 9-7 win over the Friars.
The eccentric Cienfuegos, Cuba native, who had been discovered by the late great Mike Brito (of Fernando Valenzuela fame), and who had very appropriately been given the nickname “Wild Horse” by immortal Hall of Fame Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on December 21, 2018 (along with Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, Kyle Farmer, and cash) in exchange for Homer Bailey, Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray.
Puig appeared in only 100 games with the Reds, slashing .252/.302/.475/.777 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs in 404 plate appearances before being traded to the (then) Cleveland Indians on July 31, 2019, where he appeared in only 49 games, slashing .297/.377/.423/.800 with two home runs and 23 RBIs in 207 plate appearances.
…and then the proverbial wheels came off the bus.
Puig was suspended indefinitely by Major League Baseball when it was learned that he had been involved in an illegal gambling operation, for which he was charged with making false statements to federal agents during the investigation, a felony punishable by up to five years in federal prison.
In a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, it was reported that Puig had agreed to pay a fine of (at least) $55,000 as part of a plea agreement, although it isn’t clear whether he will be formally sentenced or not, or if (or where) he might serve any prison time.
(WFTW)
If there has been a bigger fall from grace, I am unaware of it.
Play Ball!
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Puig was a pain in the grass from the moment the Dodgers gave him a 7 year, $42M contract. They even assigned a full time mentor (baby sitter?) to transition from Cuba, but Puig still managed to get into altercations with managers at Hi A and Double A, 100 mph speeding in Florida, dustup with bouncer at a night club, showing up ML players on the field — the list is wrong. IMO, Hanley Ramirez was a horrible role model for Puig — perhaps the worst teammate ever for an impressionable young man with way too much money.
Not baseball, but a bigger fall from grace –OJ Simpson. For baseball the biggest fall from grace might be Pete Rose.
Good point on Pete Rose. He was an absolute shoo-in for Cooperstown.
As we used to call it on the job, they were both ‘felony stupid.’
Pete Rose — spot on!
Pete Rose was my first thought too but then the 1919 Black Sox popped into my mind. 8 men from a WS team suspended for life for throwing games. Pete Rose says he always bet on himself to win. Until proven otherwise that is what should be believed. He never threw any obvious games like the Black Sox did.
Yasiel Puig was obviously an EXTREMELY gifted baseball athlete. So gifted that he seemed to assume (“think” would be too active a verb) ordinary rules didn’t apply much to him. While he was with the Dodgers I wondered if he would ever mature emotionally before his physical gifts began to decline? He did not.
On one hand I truly feel very sorry for him and for what he could have been. On the other hand he just behaved as a knucklehead and now his professional baseball career is over. He is a case study for other budding young stars. So sad.
The thing about Puig is that Puig hurt himself. He’s not a murderer.
The other great fall is Trevor Bauer. But his final chapter hasn’t been written yet.
To a certain degree, I blame the Dodgers for failing to hold Puig accountable for his actions and disciplining him appropriately for unacceptable behaviors. Allowing a spoiled child to have his way never turns out well for anyone.
Shoeless Joe Jackson and Denny Mclain come to mind
How about Lenny Dykstra whose reputation was so awful that judge ruled him libel-proof? Quoting the judge: “Dykstra was infamous for being, among other things, racist, misogynist, and anti-gay, as well as a sexual predator, a drug-abuser, a thief, and an embezzler. Further, Dykstra had a reputation—largely due to his autobiography—of being willing to do anything to benefit himself and his team, including using steroids and blackmailing umpires . . .” There is more, but you get the general idea.
Dykstra reminds me of something one of my supervisors said to me very early in my law enforcement career:
“Son, you missed a perfect opportunity to keep your mouth shut.”