Written by Mike Axisa at CBSSports.com
By now it’s no secret Yasiel Puig’s tenure with the Dodgers has been rocky. He has been mostly brilliant on the field and a headache in the clubhouse. The talent is undeniable. So are the distractions.
Over the winter, there were rumblings ace lefty Clayton Kershaw wanted Puig traded, though those rumors were tenuous at best. That doesn’t mean Puig hasn’t gotten on Kershaw’s nerves from time to time, of course. I’m sure he has gotten on everyone’s nerves at some point.
So far this spring Puig’s work ethic has stood out to Kershaw, who told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times he has been “really impressed with him this spring. He’s putting in a lot of work.” Here’s more from Hernandez:
Kershaw is seeing what others see: With Puig looking and sounding like a new person, the elements are in place for him to have a long-awaited breakout season. The prospect is tantalizing for the Dodgers, who could be transformed into a much better team.
While still muscular, he is considerably more slender than last year, when he was listed at 255 pounds in the team’s media guide. Puig said he is down to 240 pounds and that his body fat is less than 7%.
The Dodgers encouraged Puig to reshape his body over the winter, hoping that trading some muscle for flexibility would help keep him healthy. Rookie manager Dave Roberts hasvowed to give Puig a clean slate as well. That can only be a positive.
It’s still very early in spring training, so Puig has a long way to go before winning over Kershaw (or Roberts, for that matter). It sounds as though he’s starting off on the right foot though. Puig is so insanely talented that the Dodgers understandably want to see if they can get him on the right track before trading him.
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