Dodgers Team News

Twitter Reactions: Dave Roberts Pulls Yasiel Puig for Lack of Hustle

During the Dodgers 8-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, outfielder Yasiel Puig hit a shot towards the right center field wall, but ended up with only a stand up single. Manager Dave Roberts was not pleased with the admiration Puig gave his own hit, which led to the disappointing single.

Last year, Don Mattingly expressed similar displeasure and despite the clean slate with a new manager, Puig still has a ways to go before his on the field image is truly cleaned up.



ICYMI: Is it time to move on from Chris Hatcher?

After the game, Andy McCullough reported that Puig and Roberts talked things out and it seems that things are good between the two:

“We talk about playing the game the right way,” Roberts said. “We’ve got to be accountable.” – Dave Roberts, LA Times

“It was a bad decision on my part,” Puig said through a translator. “It was a good decision on the manager’s part. It shows not only myself, but the rest of my teammates, that you have to run out every single ball.” – Yasiel Puig, LA Times

Twitter of course is waiting for Puig to make a mistake, so here’s their reaction:

This incident is coming after a recent play in San Diego where AJ Ellis laid down a bunt to help advance Puig, but Yasiel didn’t move. As you can see, AJ didn’t really hide his frustration:

 

Gary Lee

Born and raised in Los Angeles. Huge Lakers and Dodgers fan with a passion for building websites and online communities. Find me on LinkedIn

18 Comments

  1. Roberts di it the right way. You could see the 2 of them talking in the dugout, and when Dave walked away, he was not happy

  2. What has been on his mind the last few days? He’s on second and don’t take third when the third baseman has to come in and field a bunt. Ball hit off the wall and he doesn’t  get to second. That’s  baseball 101. What the hell is wrong with him?  Little leaguers don’ t make those type of mistakes.

  3. Robert Hamilton   Roberts pulled him out of the game last night which was the right way to handle it….Puig respects Roberts, and was contrite after the game….

  4. He swings at the first pitch and rarely gets on base.  Then, he falls asleep on the base.  With so much talent at the minors… people who really want to play… I think it’s time to move him down to OKC where he belongs.

  5. Puig plays by his own rules. He’s a bit defiant and doesn’t seem to learn quickly. He’s a terrific athlete (and he know it). He seems to like to go against the grain which can have devastating consequences. He’s had plenty of opportunities to get his act together. Maybe the minors is the place for him where he can work on fundamentals, but he’s also got to get his head screwed on right. If he’s not careful, he may end up somewhere he would rather not be. LA is the town for baseball. Straighten up and fly right.

  6. jonbad  You totally wrong. Puig comes from a totally different culture. He also hits well over .400 on the first pitch. He has been in the majors less than 3 full years. And he is far better than any of the OF’s at OKC, who are all retreads, and none of whom come close to his skill level

  7. Bleed Blue Forever  Wrong again. Puig has responded to Dave Roberts leadership, and he has totally changed his approach. He makes mistakes and sometimes does not seem like he cares But I have noticed a huge change in his attitude. Last night when Roberts pulled him from the game, he did not mope, he took his medicine, and told reporters afterwards that the manager did the right thing…….There are a lot more things wrong with this team than Puig…..You have too many players not pulling their weight….

  8. Michael Norris Bleed Blue Forever I don’t think it’s so much that I’m “wrong again” as you put it Michael, but rather he repeats his mistakes.  He admires his fly balls to the outfield before getting one foot out of the batters box, he’s caught sleeping offensively and defensively, he makes poor decisions on where the ball should be thrown so that trailing base runners don’t have the opportunity to advance.  This kind of repeated play demonstrates a liability on his part.  He’s got all the tools and yes he “took his medicine” when Roberts spoke with him, but his lack of focus and decision making leaves a lot to be desired.  Glad to hear you say that there are “a lot more things wrong” with this team, I couldn’t agree more with that.

  9. Face it. If we didn’t have Puig and Kershaw to talk about, we’d all be totally  bored with this season already! zzzzz

  10. Bleed Blue Forever Michael Norris  I understand all of that, but other than throwing to the wrong base, his defense is stellar. You rarely see him not get a jump on the ball playing defense. Yes, he misses the cutoff man sometimes, but has been much better at not doing that this year, and he also has 3 of the best Dodger defensive highlights of the year with throws that have nailed runners. The guy has been getting better and listening to a manager he respects. As for falling asleep on offense. well the bunt thing was pretty blatant. But he is still young, and he is still learning. And here is a fact for you and all the other send the guy down addicts. There is no one at OKC who possesses half his skills. None of the outfielders at AAA are hitting worth beans. None have his defensive ability, and the Dodgers best OF prospect right now is at AA Tulsa. He is also not the only player in the big leagues who admires his shots to the OF, but he is the only one on the Dodgers..

  11. Michael Norris Bleed Blue Forever I never questioned his athleticism nor his throwing arm.  His mistakes have been repetitive albeit he is improving slowly.  There is nothing wrong with AAA to sharpen skills and get your head screwed on right.  I didn’t say he stays there forever.  His mistakes should have been mastered a long time ago.  I also never said that he is the only big league player who admires his obvious hits.  I don’t care about other players in the league, I care about Dodger players.  There will never be another Charlie Hustle but Chase Utley sets a good example.

  12. Bleed Blue Forever Michael Norris  You have a valid point, BUT, who are you putting in his place? You can put Thompson in RF, and have Pederson in CF, but are you sure you want Kike or Crawford in LF everyday? Or for that matter Howie? And are the coaches at OKC better than what he has here? I believe that sending him down would be counter productive, and obviously so does the coaching staff and the front office. I have to defer to their professional opinion. And when he gets hot, and he will, you will be glad he is still here

  13. Michael Norris I think we both have valid points.  As far as left field goes, Kike and Crawford already play there, plus Thompson has done a good job.  I would like a set defense.  I don’t believe in platooning and having players never know where they will play routinely.  Since Utley is doing so well at 2nd, it looks like (for the time being) Kendrick could be allocated to the OF.  I have complete confidence in the coaches at AAA.  They’re the ones who prep players to move up, so yes, they have an important role in player development.  It’s clear to me Puig needs fine tuning.  He doesn’t hit for an average that is expected from an outfielder.  Sure he hits a HR now and then but overall his offensive numbers are lacking.  Lots of K’s between Puig and Pederson.  If Puig was hitting at a .300 clip, I would be more forgiving but I would start demanding better defensive decisions.  There’s a proper time to throw to third to get an advancing runner, but not nearly as often as throwing to second to keep a runner from scoring position.  Just my opinion.

  14. Bleed Blue Forever Michael Norris  You want 2 guys platooning in LF who are both hitting below the Mendoza line. Kike and CC? That is nuts, the strongest OF is Thompson, Pederson and Puig. He is still a better fielder than either of those guys. And I do not think you get it. Puig makes 6 million a year, which for a g with his talent makes him a bargain. There is no way he gets sent to OKC, no matter how many armchair GM’s want him to be. I have more faith in Roberts motivational skills than I do the coaching in OKC.

  15. Michael Norris Bleed Blue Forever It’s not so much that I want to platoon those two in left, although that’s what been going on for more than two years now under two mgr’s.  Platooning has been used to the extreme.  Occasionally rotating or substituting here and there is to be expected considering injuries and lack of performance.  I don’t think either one of us know how well Roberts motivates players or strategizes well as a mgr…he simply has never been in this position before.  Time will tell, although there has been times this season when I would look at Roberts and think “he doesn’t have a clue what to do”.   Let’s just agree to disagree about Puig.

  16. Bleed Blue Forever Michael Norris  I can live with that. I remember in the 80’s Tommy having the same starting 8 almost every game. About the only position he ever rotated was catcher with Fergie, and Yeager. I think what  really meant is that Puig respects Roberts for some reason, something he did not do per Mattingly. This is OJT for Roberts, he does look like a dear in the headlights sometimes. But considering the injury’s this team has suffered and the personnel he has to work with, he is doing ok. The FO gave him these retreads. Onus is on them.

  17. Michael Norris Bleed Blue Forever Yep, I remember the LaSorda days well.  Maybe Puig does respect Roberts, I don’t know.  Yes, it is OJT for Roberts, something I’ll never understand how he was selected to manage.  He’s doing okay me thinks in part because we’re in the weakest division in baseball.  The moment of truth will come when we play the real contenders.  Mets tonight.  Cross your fingers.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button