Yasiel Puig VS Bo Jackson: Is Puig the Next Bo? - nascar163's Blog

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Yasiel Puig VS Bo Jackson: Is Puig the Next Bo?

Posted on August 29, 2013 at 08:43 AM.

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As the month of August begins to wind down in the Majors, the Los Angeles Dodgers have become the most red-hot team in baseball. In the past month, the Kings of LA have gone 21-6, tying the team's record for any month in Franchise History. But as the LA Dodgers prepare for their next series against the Padres, there has been one link to their season that sometimes has gone over people's heads; Yasiel Puig.

Puig has become one of the main reasons why the Dodgers have been successful in 2013. Since he's been called up, the Dodgers have gone 54-21 on a team that has seen Matt Kemp miss a lot of that time. But because of his size, he's already brought himself comparisons to one of the greatest athletes of all time, Bo Jackson.

Yes, Bo Knows Jackson.

Everyone that is a real sports fan knows who Bo Jackson is. The 6�-1�, 230 lb. monster from Auburn became a superstar in two sports in both Football and Baseball in both College and the Pros, making an impact on every team he played on. Whether it was Bo hitting 450 foot home runs in Kansas City, or running at electrifying speed in the Oakland Coliseum for the Raiders, he was a legend in both the MLB and the NFL. But had his career cut short by a major hip injury in the 1991 NFL Playoffs where he would never play football again and play in baseball 3 more seasons.

When you look at the past for both Puig and Bo Jackson, they both had very different pasts. Compare the two lifelines of both of them before their trips to the Majors:

Bo Jackson: Was born in poor conditions as the eighth of ten children.

Yasiel Puig: Was born to two engineers in Cuba.

Jackson: Played for Auburn University's Football and Baseball Teams after denying contract with the New York Yankees, ended up winning the 1985 Heisman Trophy over Chuck Long.

Puig: Became a breakout star for the Cienfuegos Elefantes, hitting .330 with 17 Home Runs and 47 RBIs in 2010-11 Season.

Jackson: Lost eligibility for rest of 1986 Season at Auburn due to scheme by Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get him banned from NCAA teams and to pick Football.

Puig: Banned for 2011-12 Season due to attempts to defect from Cuba multiple times, as well as a shoplifting charge during a tournament in Holland.

It's obvious that their backgrounds are almost exact opposites of each other. While Jackson lived poor as a child and became a superstar in College, Puig was raised by engineers and was already in Pro baseball by the time he was 19-20 Years old. But the way both of them were banned from their prospective teams is very similar, as they had this one driving force that became the enemy for themselves before they started playing in the Majors. For Bo, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while for Puig, it was Cuba's Communist government.

Both of them needed to prove the haters wrong as well. Many scouts in Bo Jackson's time didn't think he would play in the MLB or even do well due to the amount of time he spent playing Football. But Puig wasn't even considered a high-value prospect in the first place to some teams, as according to Ben Badler from Baseball America, his reports were "extremely underwhelming."

But so far, Puig has proved to everyone that he can play at a high level this season, and that's an understatement. Not only has the team went from the basement of the NL West to one of the top records in team history, his stats have also shown signs he can be a great piece for the future of the league. So far this season, Puig has hit .347, 13 Home Runs, 30 RBIs, 24 Walks, 8 SBs, a .559 Slugging Percentage, and 71 Strikeouts. Bo Jackson had similar numbers in terms of strikeouts and power in his time, having 172 strikeouts in a season where he hit 32 home runs. Both of them also get mad in a way that is noticeable on the field every strikeout.

Now Puig isn't smashing bats over his head like Bo, but his arrogant play from both good and bad plays have become a part of his style. Whether it's the bat swings on singles into left field or the emotions on his face, he has a mindset that says "I am the best in the world, and I'll prove everyone every second I'm on the field." In a way, Bo Jackson was just doing exactly that with his skill set, saying once in his documentary that he wanted to let out his anger from his past into sports.

If Puig does end up becoming as good as or even better than Bo, the odds are going to be towards him. Because of Bo tearing a vein in his hip during football season for the Oakland Raiders, his baseball career took a major hit, seeing his career numbers drop, and cutting his career short by about 10 years. Nothing like that should happen to Yasiel, so his numbers in terms of hitting could be better than Bo's.

During his short career, Bo's best hitting season had a .272 Batting Average with 28 Home Runs and 78 RBIs. If Puig was to play for about 10 Years at least, he could possibly hit .300-310 with at least 20 Home Runs a year if he hits in the 2 Spot for the Dodgers. As for awards and All-Star votes, that's all in his hands.

Bo Jackson during his short career in the Majors saw him win the 1989 MVP Trophy with the Royals. If Puig keeps up his great play during the rise of his career, he will definitely win a few MVP trophies, and maybe a couple of gold gloves that Bo never was able to reach. He definitely has the potential to do that if it comes down to it.

Now there's no chance Yasiel Puig will be playing football anytime soon, and all these ideas are just speculation, but if he was to mess up his career by taking PEDs or betting on baseball (had to go there), then you can all say the only way he got as big as Bo Jackson was because he cheated in Cuba. If not, then he's the greatest athlete since Bo, and the Dodgers found a hidden gem.

Thanks for reading,

nascar163/Gamer360Sports/Justin Prince

@JustinPSports