The big caveat there is that Puig being brought in as a replacement for Markakis could wind up being an upgrade because a “down year” for the 29-year-old Cuban slugger is still great enough to make him a league-average player in baseball right now. That kind of production indicates that as long as were talking about a perfect circumstance where the Braves are as healthy as they can potentially be, they wont need to worry about right field being a platoon any longer. The Braves likely arent signing a career 124 wRC+ player who is under 30 to divide time on a squadron player. They are most likely going to simply stick him out there in ideal field and offer with the passable level of defense while enjoying the benefits of the appear his bat.
It turns out that he was there on service and now Yasiel Puig is going to be a member of the Braves for this 60-game season. At first glimpse, this doesnt appear like a big leap from what the production in RF was projected to be with the options the Braves currently had and what the production will be with Puig holding down that position in the field– specifically because hes coming into Atlantas fold on a bit of a down note after he had an underwhelming season for his standards while bouncing between the two Ohio baseball clubs.
Where Puig should choose up the slack is going to be in his power– Puigs career Isolated Power is near the magic number of.200 that shows that a guy is a major hazard to do damage to the baseball. If Puig can get that number back to being above.200 during this season, the Braves ought to be happy with the results. This would generally be the part where I d say that we can most likely pencil Puig in for at least 20 dingers, however this is the Weird Season that were dealing with here so youll just have to trust me when I say that Puig is probably going to be an excellent bet to hit a decent number of home runs this season.
Earlier this month, the Braves suffered a bit of a hit to their outfield alternatives when Nick Markakis made the incredibly reasonable choice to choose out of the 2020 season. Atlanta had a “great problem” on their hands when it pertained to the 36-year-old veteran being used as one of lots of options for the outfield throughout the approaching seasons, but naturally the Braves probably didnt desire that “problem” to be solved by subtraction. For the Braves, that ended up being the case and they were placed in a situation where they were now missing in Markakis a player who might be serve as a reliable option against right-handed pitching as a lefty hitter, himself.
Ideally we get to see plenty of scenes like this while Puig is using a Braves uniformPhoto by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images
Judging by Puigs slash lines over the previous 4 seasons, it looks like the power is the only thing that was out of the regular when it pertained to his 2019 season and even with that, he still struck 24 homers and wasnt that far from having a. 200 ISO. Im not going to inform you that hes going to go back to his 2013-2014 Puig-a-Mania status any time quickly– Im saying that hes going to benefit a stat line that would be comparable to a season in between 1.0 and 3.0 WAR. If hes closer to a comparable 3.0 WAR season, then Alex Anthopoulos will be pleased with this reunion, Braves fans should be quite delighted with what he gave the locker and the table space need to also appreciate the reality that Puig was certainly able to come in and be a capable replacement for Nick Markakis.
All-in-all, Im quite excited to see how things establish in Atlanta for Puig. If we get anything comparable to this, then that would be an exceptionally beautiful reward and well all be delighted Braves fans by the end of baseball season.
Puig completed the 2019 season in Cleveland, who finished the season with 93 wins. The Braves are a good bet to be an excellent group this season, and Puig has actually done absolutely nothing but fit together well with excellent teams for his whole career. I d think of that the Braves clubhouse and Puig are going to go together like a hand in a glove and I d be surprised if there are any problems going forward.
If Puig can get that number back to being above.200 during this season, the Braves must be happy with the results. If hes closer to an equivalent 3.0 WAR season, then Alex Anthopoulos will be pleased with this reunion, Braves fans should be quite delighted with what he brought to the locker and the table space must likewise appreciate the truth that Puig was certainly able to come in and be a capable replacement for Nick Markakis.
Plus, anybody who is accountable for bringing about among the greatest baseball paintings of all-time is always welcome.
The Braves are an excellent bet to be a good group this season, and Puig has actually done absolutely nothing however mesh well with good groups for his entire profession.
It turns out that he was there on company and now Yasiel Puig is going to be a member of the Braves for this 60-game season. At very first look, this does not appear like a huge leap from what the production in RF was predicted to be with the options the Braves currently had and what the production will be with Puig holding down that position in the field– specifically because hes coming into Atlantas fold on a bit of a down note after he had an underwhelming season for his standards while bouncing between the two Ohio baseball clubs.
You hardly ever hear about discord or internal battles with the Braves and there extremely likely will not be any issues with that with Puig in the fold. If that was the case then Alex Anthopoulos most likely wouldnt have considered signing the former Dodger to a deal and Puig would not have been in factor to consider anywhere else.
