The Dodgers would like Yasiel Puig to lose some weight this winter
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a plan for keeping outfielder Yasiel Puig on the field after an injury-riddled season. They want him to lose some weight.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that Puig’s weight loss is “a focus” this offseason.
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The 24-year-old Puig was limited to just 79 games in 2015 due to two separate hamstring injuries. Friedman said it’s possible Puig’s weight contributed to those issues.
Puig was on the disabled list twice this year with hamstring injuries and played in only 79 games. Friedman cited his weight gain as a possible reason. Puig is listed at 255 pounds.
“He has continued to get bigger and stronger each year,” Friedman said. “It may not be the optimal size for him to play 150 games, 150-plus games.”
Hernandez notes that Puig has already been in touch with the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator during the offseason.
Friedman’s criticisms will come off as harsh considering the perception surrounding Puig, but that’s probably not the intended purpose. The Dodgers are a much better club when Puig is healthy, so it makes sense that Friedman would want his outfielder to be in better shape heading into next season.
It’s also worth noting that Puig is naturally a large person. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, he’s basically a linebacker miscast as an outfielder. That size is a big part of his appeal. The fact that he can hit for excellent power while still providing speed in the outfield and on the bases is a major reason he’s among one of the best players in the game when healthy. That said, Puig can probably be the same player if he’s 20 pounds lighter.
This is Puig we’re talking about here, so there are sure to be detractors. Many are likely to point to the “Puig is lazy” narrative, but that’s not really fair. When he first signed with the Dodgers, there were some who were concerned about Puig’s conditioning. To his credit, he worked to get himself into much better shape with the team and went on to have an excellent rookie season. He’s done it once before, so there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again.
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Obviously, injuries were a major part of his 2015 struggles, and it will be easy for many to continue to kick Puig while he’s down. The truth is, up until last year, Puig was already among the best players in the game. The only thing Puig needs to do to regain that status in 2016 is stay on the field.
Coming into the season in better shape can’t hurt. Because it involves Puig, Friedman’s request will receive more attention than it should. Friedman just wants his star player to be healthy next season. There’s no reason to read into these comments as another attack on Puig’s personality.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
