August 20, 2013

Puig’s Perception Problem

Via BBTF, the media is starting to come down on Yasiel Puig for his mental errors.

Eventually, though, Puig must get the message – and the sooner, the better. When Starlin Castro was a rookie, the Chicago Cubs figured he’d eventually stop losing track of outs and forgetting about baserunners. He hasn’t. Perhaps the Cubs should have waited for Castro to master the game’s basics before handing him a $60 million contract extension. Puig signed a $42 million deal the day he became a Dodger, so Mattingly must come up with other forms of motivation.

I understand that Puig is 22. He defected from Cuba and had little seasoning in the minor leagues. But he’s making mistakes that wouldn’t be tolerated in Class A ball. College players with far less ability than Puig know not to risk making the last out of an inning at third base with the cleanup hitter due up, and that throws from right field should be low and within range of a cutoff man.

Every player possesses strengths and weaknesses, and managers do their best to accentuate the strengths and cover up the weaknesses. If you look at Puig’s value at FanGraphs, which breaks the runs down to batting, running, and defense, Yasiel’s value batting far exceeds the problems he creates on the base paths and in the field. He’s producing about one win over replacement per month, which over the long term would make him one of the best players in the game. So should the Dodgers be that concerned about missing cut-off men?

The problem is one of perception. If an outfielder has a weak arm, or if a runner isn’t fast, there’s not much a team can do about that. Fans and managers accept the weaknesses if the strengths can cover them. Mental errors are not seen in the same light. Those are things that should be correctable; people have the ability to learn from mistakes. If the Dodgers lose a big game because Puig makes a mental error, no matter how well he played in the rest of the series, the media won’t let Don Mattingly and the player forget it.

Yet, it’s quite possible that this isn’t a weakness that is easily correctable. Some people just think in the moment; they don’t see the strategy two moves ahead. They see a runner heading home and believe they can nail him. They see a bobble in the outfield and think, “Take the extra base.” It may take a lot of practice to recognize when he can and can’t go, and right now the Dodgers don’t have time for that.

Go back to the Starlin Castro example. This is his fourth year in the majors. The Cubs have tried to change him, but it may just be in his personality to make mistakes. The player who showed such promise as a 20-year-old is now just a shell of that hitter. Maybe the Cubs should have accepted the mistakes and let him play. It’s a possibility that in trying to fix the lapses, Chicago broke Castro.

In Washington, Bryce Harper makes plenty of mistakes, too. When he does, Davey Johnson down plays it, chalks it up to youth and learning. The Red Sox let Manny Ramirez get away with a lack of hustle for years, because it just wasn’t worth criticizing someone who helped them win. So rather than harping on the errors, maybe Mattingly should just say to Puig, “You’re helping us win, just play the game.” Puig’s strategic weakness may not be as easy to overcome as it appears.

6 thoughts on “Puig’s Perception Problem

  1. Jeff A

    In baseball, as in life, we have a choice. We can focus on our weaknesses, or we can focus on our strengths. Neither is necessarily right or wrong–it depends on the person and the situation. One hopes that the Dodgers will be able to tell which one is appropriate here.

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  2. Scooter

    This is just a wonderful post. Insight like this is why I always read your work. Thanks.

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  3. JJ

    It also reminds me of Bill James’ insight, from long ago, that fans and the media criticize the team’s best players, not the weak links.

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  4. Jeff Pfau

    Not giving Puig credit for major adjustment in hitting. Was swinging and missing low and outside pitches which was his first batting slump (tumbling from the the .400’s to .360’s). He adjusted nicely and became a selective hitter, walks started to accumulate. This is evidence that he can listen and respond positively.

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