OS Debate: Is Yasiel Puig an All-Star This Year? - Joe Chacon's Blog

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Joe Chacon's Blog

OS Debate: Is Yasiel Puig an All-Star This Year? Stuck

Posted on July 9, 2013 at 04:33 AM.

(5)

YES (Justin Mikels)

Baseball is becoming that once-hot girl with plenty of good qualities going for her... but that personality -- man, oh man -- she really knows how to push the best things out of her life. No one is good enough for her. She made up her mind what she wanted in a man several years ago and she simply refuses to make an exception. Similarly, Major League Baseball continues to protect the good ol' days while missing the chance to grow the sport's popularity. Right now, it's a tough sport to love -- let alone enter into a relationship.

Few things in professional sports are more important to its long-term popularity like the visibility of the superstar. Close behind that is the hype that accompanies emerging stars. Bryce Harper and Mike Trout? They're certainly great for the game, but to keep the current fans and attract new ones baseball must keep churning out young phenoms. Professional sports are about the fans, after all. The NFL and NBA have figured that out. As soon as the previous season has ended, football and basketball fill our plates with future stars as the draft nears. Baseball lacks the ability to promise instant success from draft picks in year one, but you would think that means young superstars would be shoved into our laps the moment they do break through.

Yasiel Puig is one of those rising stars, but some in baseball think he has more to prove before being considered All-Star worthy. Forget his numbers for a moment (they're ridiculously good), and consider this: Puig deserves the same chance to be an All-Star because the All-Star roster is voted on... by the fans. That's it; no other reasons needed. End of discussion.

Using the argument that he hasn't "earned it" only splits the divide between the MLB and those same people who fill the seats. If you're good enough to play in the big leagues, you've earned all there is to earn. If a player who has sat on the DL for most of the season can still get voted in out of respect, so too can a young phenom who has only played 30-something games. And if you're going to shut out a guy like Puig, then maybe it's time to evolve. Use the example provided by ESPN baseball writer Jayson Stark, add a 'Rising Star' spot to the All-Star roster for guys like Puig. What a huge 'win' that would be with the fans of baseball.

For the realists out there, logistically it would be difficult to get enough votes since ballots had been printed without his name available and electing Puig requires a write-in effort. But that's not the argument. Should a player, in his first year who has played little more than a month even be considered as an All-Star? In short, should sample size matter -- is there a qualifying number to hit? The mere fact that statistics are being throw into the equation to justify qualification is a great parallel to how numbers have taken over the game of baseball. It's time to stop over-analyzing the game from the fan's perspective. The All-Star game is an exhibition contest solely intended to entertain the fans by placing together a roster of players that the fans most want to see. The fans. Leave it up to them or baseball can continue it's slide from being America's pastime to being passed its time.

NO (Joe Chacon)

Let me first disclose that I'm a Dodger fan. I'm just as excited to see Puig burst onto the scene and help the Dodgers climb the standings as much as every other die hard fan, but I don't think he belongs on the 2013 All-Star team.

Puig, as of this writing, has accumulated 135 plate appearances in 32 games. That means he has played in 36% of his team's games this year. In those 32 games he has racked up 52 hits, 8 home runs, 19 RBI, and five stolen bases. On the flip side, he is also striking out 23% of the time and walking a dismal 4% of the time.

As exciting of a player he is and as bright of a future he has, I don't believe he belongs in the All-Star game this year.

My opinion of Puig not being an All-Star doesn't have anything to do with me being a "purist", I simply don't believe he would fare well in a clutch situation against an American League All-Star pitcher.

Although Puig is batting over .400 right now, it's become evident that pitchers are already starting to figure him out. For starters, he swings at every first pitch regardless of the location. Secondly, he chases sliders low and away just about every night. And finally, with two strikes (which he has almost every at-bat) he will swing at a fastball up in the zone.

Puig has struck out 13 times in his last eight games, compared to the 18 strikeouts he had in his first 25 games. My prediction is that in another month Puig will see his batting average below .325 with an Adam Dunn-like strikeout ratio.

Since the All-Star game is important due to the home-field advantage implications, I'd much rather see somebody like Adrian Gonzalez in the All-Star game. Gonzalez, however, has told fans to vote for Puig so I don't envision Gonzo making the squad this year.

Puig is still somebody who needs to tone down his adrenaline a bit during games. Dodger fans are laughing now when they see him run through a stop sign or try to turn a routine single into a double, but those smiles will turn to faces of anger if he continues to do that down the stretch.

The Dodgers owe a large part of their surge to the success of Puig, but we need to take a step back for a second and realize he is not an All-Star this year. One month is not enough of a sample size to give Puig the nod.

Heck, even Cleveland's Carlos Santana was batting .390 after the first month of this season -- he's now batting .266.

OS Voice: Which side of the debate are you on? Is Yasiel Puig a 2013 All-Star?

Comments

# 1 Detroitfan4life1993 @ Jul 9

30 games should not get you into the all star game, but the all star game is so bad these days and players get voted in off popularity so he will probably make it in.

# 2 sparkdawg777 @ Jul 9

How are so many people overlooking Bryce Harper. Puig already has 4 more hits than Harper in 46 less ABs and Harper is a starter. If Puig doesn't deserve it neither does Harper.

# 3 Guapo516 @ Jul 9

Clearly an allstar