March 14th, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Evan Bladh raw (adjective)
a: not cooked <raw meat>
b: being in or nearly in the natural state <in the raw>
c: not processed or purified <raw fibers> <raw sewage>
d: not diluted or blended <raw spirits>
e: unprepared or imperfectly prepared for use; not being in polished, finished, or processed form <raw data>
f: lacking experience or understanding <a raw recruit>
g: term used by every freaking writer in the world to describe Yasiel Puig
(source: Merriam-Webster – with the exception of “g”).
“Raw.” I’m sick of this word. I’ve heard it used more this spring than anytime I can recall. Seriously, aside from Rocky Balboa before he runs in the morning, who takes their eggs raw? The word doesn’t conjure up very pleasant things. I mean, come on, “raw sewage,” “raw meat.” When someone references that you woke up from “sleeping in the raw,” images of cover girl models don’t appear. “Raw data?” Usually information that can’t be used until analyzed at length. “Raw humor?” Often vulgar or offensive. “Raw deal?” You just got the shaft.
So why is it that the word “Raw” continually surfaces when the Dodgers finest prospect in years is mentioned?
Exactly what more does Yasiel Puig have to do to prove that raw is good?
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
Yasiel Puig has been tearing up Spring Training and EVERYBODY (including me) has used the adjective “raw” as a means to describe his ability. I think it’s time to search our thesaurus to come up with some more adjectives that would appropriately fit. If you don’t believe me, follow along:
Don Mattingly:
“The best word for me with Yasiel is ‘raw,'” Mattingly said, per MLB.com. “This guy is full speed. He is a beast. It is a body in motion. When this guy comes around the bases, it’s a train coming. … But it’s raw, and it’s full speed, and I like it. It’s like a wild horse.”
Steve Dilbeck (LA Times March 11, 2013:
“Yasiel Puig needs some serious seasoning. As enormously talented as he appears, he is a player with a total of 82 at-bats at the minors’ lower levels. He screams for polish. Manager Don Mattingly calls him raw.”
Bill Plunkett, OC Register:
“Puig a raw but tantalizing prospect.”
Mike Petriello (March 3rd at MikeScsiosciasTragicIllness.com)
“A week into camp, one of the more encouraging signs for the Dodgers is how great Yasiel Puig has looked. In what’s really been the first extended look at him for most of us, we’ve seen him display the raw tools that so enticed the Dodgers last summer…”
Mark Saxon, ESPN.com, March 3rd:
“Puig is working closely with McGwire, the Dodgers’ hitting coach, in the batting cages at Camelback Ranch, trying to refine a powerful but raw swing into something that can withstand the rigors of major-league pitching.”
Ken Gurnick, MLB.com, March 5th:
“With a body like Bo Jackson, Puig possesses power, running speed, ball-catching skills and a right-fielder arm. But with limited exposure as a young Cuban ballplayer, Puig’s raw skills were relatively under wraps when he escaped his homeland for free agency.”
BaseballProspectNation.com, September 7, 2012:
“(Puig has) raw potential to be an All-Star level player but has to adjust to advanced competition.”
Christopher Gamble, www.rantsports.com, February 20, 2012:
“Puig might run into some difficulty at Double-A as he is still a very raw prospect. However, he does have a ton of natural ability and that should eventually overcome any problems that he encounters due to his lack of experience.”
Chris Cwik, CBSSports.com, March 12, 2013:
“There was initially some concern about Puig’s conditioning, but ESPN’s Keith Law recently noted that Puig has lost a little weight since then. He remains incredibly raw, but is a player Dodgers’ fans will undoubtedly keep an eye on over the next couple of seasons.”
John Sickels, SB Nation, (Feb. 22, 2013:
“Using some of their new-found financial resources, the Dodgers signed Cuban defector Yasiel Puig to a seven-year contract worth $42,000,000 last June. There was mixed opinion about this in the baseball world: some scouts felt that Puig was too raw and risky to be worth that kind of money, but the Dodgers see him as a possible superstar.”
Eric Stephen, TrueBlueLA.com, Feb 18, 2013:
“One of the first things noteworthy about Yasiel Puig when seeing him up close is his size. The Dodgers list the 22-year-old Cuban outfielder as 6’3, 215 pounds, but in proximity looks more like an NFL linebacker. The other thing that is evident is his raw talent. But despite their $42 million investment in him, don’t look for the Dodgers to rush him to the majors anytime soon.”
Jack Moore, Fangraphs.com, June 28, 2012:
“Speed is speed, and Puig hit six triples with his Cuban team but also was thrown out in four of his nine stolen base attempts. Evaluation of Puig’s defense will be toughest of all. Workouts can show raw ability, but they may not show the kind of reactions and decision-making necessary to defend at the MLB level.”
Logan White as quoted in AOL/Sporting News.com piece on June 29, 2012:
“’Yasiel is a fantastic kid with an infectious personality, and we think he has the tools to be a front-line player in the major leagues,’ said Logan White, the Dodgers’ assistant general manager in charge of scouting. ‘He is very physical and athletic with raw power… He can hit it a long way. On top of that, he has a good arm and is an above-average runner.’”
* * *
Raw tools, raw power, raw ability, raw swing, raw skills, raw potential – the word is used almost daily in a negative way as if to question Puig’s maturity and implies that he isn’t ready as a major league player
Nonsense!
What more does this kid have to do to prove that raw tools, raw power, raw ability, raw swing, raw skills, raw potential aren’t negative things, they’re great things? They should imply that his ceiling is unlimited and that he has uncapped potential – which is exactly what he is doing.
I’ll just say this and I’ll keep the “r” word out of it: Yasiel Puig’s performance thus far in Spring Training is probably the most impressive of ANY player that has worn a Dodger uniform. I don’t care how inexperienced he is. If he remains free of injury, this guy is the real deal and we have a lot to look forward to. With regard to his need to get more minor league games under his belt – if he’s performing as is, I don’t see why he can’t do it on the Major League level. If Carl Crawford isn’t healthy enough to start the season with the big club, it would be almost criminal to not put Puig in left field.
There is the occasional arrival to the baseball world that doesn’t need minor league seasoning and can crack the major league roster immediately. One such player might be Puig. When you consider that he has years of experience in Cuba, perhaps he is prepped and ready to go. This is a kid that is playing as if his career depended on it. He hustles, and he works. He’s positive and he’s learning from mistakes. He’s willing to learn and he deals with the fans in a positive light.
Raw? Don’t we wish we were all that way at age 22. If that is raw, imagine what he’ll look like as a seasoned veteran.
Raw is good.
Posted in 
I love your take on “raw”. I too don’t want to continue to use the term “raw” but as a comparative thing it is preferable to the overly cooked veterans. Also in a year or two the pundits will be talking about Puig’s “WAR” and how great that is, but no longer talking about “raw”.
Puig has untapped potential due to his time loss getting out of Cuba and his youth. How much – who knows – but as mentioned his ceiling would appear to be high, very high. The nuances of the game may take some time but can be learned at the MLB level.(eg Matt Kemp). With a positive attitude he will be a quick learner. I think he has some mastery of the strike zone to accomplish but what youngster doesn’t. As we mentioned in ST we thought pitchers would be working to get him out by pitching inside and tying him up. Last time I saw him the pitchers were starting to go away so they are not sure yet what to try. That’s a good sign.
I’d be more than happy to see him start with the Dodgers, pending Crawford’s return to active duty. The two things that I loved about him at ST was the sound when he hit the ball and how he hustles down the line. We saw one play that many players would have easily been out on but with Puig there was no chance to get him. Also I have always been a sucker with a cannon for arm in the OF. Puig has the potential to be the energizer for the team, the excitement for the fans more so than the players the Dodgers acquired by trade in 2012. He has the potential to generate the next “mania”.
Huh… Look who I voted for: Poll: Who will be the Dodgers Opening Day Left Fielder?
The moment I laid eyes on this kid (August 14, 2012 to be exact), I knew that he would be on the Dodgers 25-man roster at some point during the 2013 season. And after watching him closely (in person) in the Cal League and for almost two weeks during spring training (so far), I knew that if Carl Crawford is not ready on opening day (and I don’t believe that he will be) that Yasiel Puig would be the Dodgers opening day and every day left fielder until Crawford returns.
It’s a very simple question for Don Mattingly and Ned Colletti – How bad do you want to win while Carl Crawford is out of the line-up?
Boom.
Raw is also an untapped resource. Back on March 3rd, I wrote:
“The fact that Puig has the raw talent to be a better player than even Matt Kemp is??? That’s got to be a terrifying thought for the rest of the league.”
We’ve seen it all too often; young kid has a breakout Spring, makes the big club and doesn’t adjust to the pitching. Morale becomes broken, player sent back to the minors… never to be heard from again.
Somehow I think Puig is different, which is why I think the “Crawford conundrum” makes perfect sense in this situation. First off, the expectations aren’t there for him to do well immediately. Just be and learn, knowing that when Crawford returns, he’ll be headed down to continue development. The experience gives the kid a taste of the bigs and hoepfully will drive him to return as quickly as possible.
See? Even Kevin used Evan’s favorite word.
We all know what that would take, Kevin – and you’re not going to like that one.
It all depends on Crawford. To suggest that Andre’s job is on the block is absurd. They’re both left-handed outfielders… and Andre has the better upside and stats. Crawford has played four more seasons, is recovering from major surgery, and has work-ethic issues plaguing his reputation. He was expensive though… and do we really think he’s going to be the next “Juan Uribe?” Time will tell.
Allowing Andre to be traded, especially at this point in the Dodgers push to become World Champions, would be “cutting one’s nose off to spite their face.” I just don’t see the Dodgers trying to remain too patient with Crawford. Of course we want Carl Crawford to do well. He would bring more to the trading table this way… but I digress…
If Yasiel Puig is to be an everyday player for the Dodgers, it is apparent that someone will have to go. I would think the Dodgers would get fair return on whomever they decide to part ways with. But Yasiel also has to prove he’s ready, and the Dodgers would need to sit one of their corner outfielders. Puig has the physical makeup to be successful, but that mental/endurance aspect of the game is a bitch. Can he handle a long-haul season? That remains to be seen.
If Andre starts hitting left-handers like he used to again, then there will be no discussion. So this leaves us back to Crawford, who has a lot to prove in a very short time.
Good point Evan, nice article. I would think the Dodgers would rather have Puig playing every day in AA or AAA then to be sitting at Dodger stadium. If and when Crawford is ready he’ll be given his time in LF to prove himself. That alone will keep Puig on the bench. Kemp and Either are set and nothing is going to change that except injury ( god forbid ) or a severe slump and that isn’t likely. Puig is going to be the best paid minor leaguer in 2013. The guy I’m starting to feel sorry for is TGJr, there just doesn’t seem to be any way for him to make the team. BTW, my personal choice for a bench position guy in Alex Castellanos. He can play all the OF positions as well as 2B and even SS if necessary and he can hit for power and has better then average speed on the bases.
There doesn’t seem to be much doubt in anyone’s mind around here, that Puig will make it to the big leagues and has the potential to be one of the best.
I think the question right now is will it be as a Dodger?
From my experience, since I believe he’s an outfielder, it will depend on the continued success of Crawford, Ethier and Kemp.
I can give you $42 million reasons (and 7-years) why Puig will a Dodger, OBF; and I can’t even begin to figure out how or why you would think otherwise (other than the obvious reason).
Although not nearly as refined (yet), Puig is a Mike Trout/Bryce Harper-caliber player and will (in my opinion) one day be better than Matt Kemp – and most likely at a much younger age.
I also do not believe that Andre Ethier is as set-in-stone as you and Kevin choose to believe he is – especially if Crawford comes out guns-a-blazin’ in 2013. I do agree (with Kevin, that is) that the 2013 season for both Ethier and Crawford will absolutely determine who the Dodgers 2014 right or left fielders will be.
Just FYI – Puig is a natural RF but can play all three OF positions because of his incredible speed and cannon arm.
PS: Just curious – were you even awake during the nine games that Puig played in when you were at spring training?
“I think the question right now is will it be as a Dodger?”
Joe… you’re a one-of-a-kind person. We wouldn’t be the same without you. But when you make comments like that one, it makes so many of us wonder if you even pay attention to what’s going on with the Dodgers.
Tell me, Joe; why do you feel Puig may not be with the Dodgers?
I didn’t say that I feel that Puig will not be with the Dodgers. I’m asking the question, “Will he be a Dodger?” I agree he looks like he has a bundle of talent, but it wouldn’t be unusual if the Dodgers current outfield turns out to be one of the best outfields in baseball and Puig has a difficult time breaking into it.
It may not happen this way but if it does than Puig could end up elsewhere.
Of course he could end up in the infield, like 3rd base or even 1st base but of course only time will tell.
I would remove the “r” and add an “e” to give my impression of Puig. That being said, I’m still a little leery based on the assessment I heard in Glendale of his mental attitude/capacity. But I still think he should be our opening day left fielder should Crawford not be ready.
Incidentally, since I love steal tartare “raw” does not have a bad connotation for me!
End of argument; Mattingly confirms Puig will begin in minors.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130314&content_id=42745710¬ebook_id=42749732&vkey=notebook_la&c_id=la
We’ll see about that, Kevin. That story was tweeted by five or six different guys who were at the morning media conference and it was reported five or six different ways – all the way from he definitely won’t be on the ODR to he might not be on it.
You’ll love tomorrow’s blog post. 🙂