There has been plenty of talk and buzz surrounding Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers 22-year-old ‘saviour’, a speedy, powerful, all-energy guy who most believe has turned Los Angeles around in the middle months of the baseball season.
The Cuban made his debut on June the 3rd and since that day he has hit .409 with a major league-best 54 hits.
But Hanley Ramirez, in my opinion, has had even more of an impact on the team during the Dodgers’ incredible run which now sees them second place in the NL West and just 3.5 games behind Arizona having beaten them 6-1 in a series opener at Chase Field last night.
Puig had two hits in the victory while Ramirez had three, lifting his batting average to .419 and his career-best hitting streak to 19 games. Both chatter different languages in the clubhouse but are certainly on the same page when it comes to helping each other out and empowering Don Mattingly’s team.
Ramirez has been on the disabled list twice this season which began with a thumb injury that he picked up in the World Baseball Classic representing the eventual champion Dominican Republic. His turnaround has been remarkable.
So why isn’t anybody talking about Hanley?
Puig, of course. But that’s ok, because Ramirez is a changed man. He doesn’t need the spotlight anymore. He just wants to win, a trait that he admits he picked up from being part of the Dominican team in March.
“For me, since he came back from the WBC, he’s been different,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly says. “You could just see it. He wanted to win.”
“We were all for each other, all on the same page,” Ramirez replied. “It did not matter who got the hit. All we wanted to do was win. And you have no idea how good that felt, how fun it was.’”
That, then, transferred itself to Chavez Ravine. Ramirez got sharp in spring and worked hard to recover from a thumb and hamstring injury, and has shifted back to shortstop successfully. He offers, at least to me, more than Puig overall because of the new philosophy he has.
Puig runs hard, but can mess up on the bases occasionally. Puig is all out, but sometimes risks injury by running into the outfield walls – which he has done several times already without obtaining an injury. Puig is aggressive at the plate, but swings and misses at a lot of pitches away.
Obviously, Puig makes up for that with his incredible numbers – .409 average, eight home runs, 19 RBI’s and a 1.102 OPS. in just 33 games – but let’s flip the script to Ramirez just quickly.
Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire – that guy who hit just 583 home runs during his career – praises Hanley higher than most.
“I see a guy who knows how to hit a baseball correctly,” McGwire says. “He hits it just right.”
“I tell him all the time in the cage, ‘You are a perfect example of how to hit a baseball.’ His downward plane, his hands through the baseball, his extension — that’s how you backspin a baseball.”
A perfect example. That’s the point. Ramirez dominated the National League between 2006-09, but had shoulder surgery in 2011 which clearly took some performance out of him, something Matt Kemp is going through right now, so among Ramirez’s assets is the assurance he gives Kemp during this tough time.
Ramirez looks back to his best, and the Dodgers would like him to stay healthy for the rest of the season because he, along with Puig, is vital if LA wish to continue their winning run towards the playoffs.
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Zack Greinke won his decision last night against the Diamondbacks, moving to 7-2 on the season despite, like Ramirez, receiving little talk about his numbers. He has also been on the DL with a broken collarbone and when you have three-time All Star Clayton Kershaw pitching in front of you, it’s hard to grab the spotlight at all. But the number two hurler is going about his business nicely and won a key game for Los Angeles yesterday, pitching a two-hit shutout over seven innings, allowing just two walks and getting three, yes three, hits himself.
And they were hard-hit singles too. The ‘Zack’ of all trades is also healthy now and finally the boys in blue have a solid 1-2-3 punch with Hyun-Jin Ryu too.
Speaking of pitchers, Ricky Nolasco – who grew up a Dodgers fan – is making his first start tonight for LA since his trade from the Marlins, and although Chris Capuano was moved to the bullpen after the trade, he will be back in the number five slot because Stephen Fife – 3-3 on the year – is along with Kemp heading to the 15-day DL with a shoulder problem. Nolasco will be hoping to make an impression after an average year so far, holding a record of 5-8 with an ERA standing at 3.85.
Finally on Dodgers pitching, we have to talk about Kershaw’s outstanding record vs. The Giants which continued in his last outing when he shut down San Francisco over eight innings, helping the Dodgers to an important series victory
Kershaw was coming off a rare shutout at Coors Field against the Rockies and gave up just three hits and one run in eight innings against the Giants, raising his record to 8-5 after the Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the ninth. Kershaw, who has been voted an All-Star for the third time this season, is now 11-4 lifetime against the world champions and his 2013 ERA of 1.89 now leads the league.
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Results today show Yasiel Puig remains in second in the final vote for All Star selections, behind Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman. As of today, over 33 million votes have been submitted and the rookie remains behind Braves first baseman Freeman, while Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is fifth in the final voting.
Matt Kemp finished runner up at this stage back in 2009, while the last Dodger to qualify as an All Star in the final vote was Nomar Garciaparra in 2006. You can #VotePuig or #VoteTitan to see a Dodger join Clayton Kershaw at Citi Field on the 16th of July.
I thought the impact Puig has had thus far and the hype surrounding him would secure the vote because one, fans want to watch a spectacle and Puig provides that, and two, FOX will want higher television ratings and a player like Puig gives just that. But you also have to judge voting on the whole season, and unlike Puig, Freeman has been there and done it since April.
