Yasiel Puig

[71buc]

I remember when I first started as an associate scout for the Reds. The area scout I worked with asked me if I knew what a MLB hitter actually looked like in high school. I told him I thought so. I did not. He took me to a game in White Salmon which is a small town Washington to see such a creature. There were more scouts and GMs in the stands than fans. The player he brought me to see was so far off the charts it was ridiculous. At the plate his talent made it appear as if he were an adult playing with children. He was drafted later that year and never got higher than AA due to serious and chronic injuries. However, I never forgot how impressive he was compared to his peers. The only other HS school players I saw like that were Travis Snyder and Tim Lincecum.

When I first saw Puig in spring training this year it was honestly the same sensation. You could not see his ability without knowing that you were seeing something special.
Like I said in post #1 of this thread Puig is the most impressive raw talent I have ever seen. Despite this I am still shocked at his current numbers. If you combine all of his stats from this season between the Cactus League, Chattanooga, and the MLB he is hitting .390 with 12 homers after 236 at bats. Ironically he struggled in AA by only hitting .313. I am sure he will struggle in the near future once the pitchers figure him out but I think his performance brings to rest any talk of his needing seasoning. I think that if he stays healthy and continues to mature mentally and physically we could be seeing a once in a generation talent. This is not a fluke or an over hyped player, this young man is something very, very special. We should all sit back and enjoy the ride.