Yasiel Puig could end up being more than just a replacement for the Braves

Earlier this month, the Braves suffered a small bump in their open field options when Nick Markakis made the incredible decision not to participate in the 2020 season. Atlanta had a “good problem” on its hands when it came to the veteran. The 36-year-old was used as one of many outfield options for the next few seasons, but naturally the Braves probably didn’t want that “problem.” be solved by subtraction Unfortunately for the Braves, that was the case and they were placed in a scenario where Markakis was now missing a hitter who could serve as an effective option against right-handed pitching as a left-handed hitter himself.

So, with that option out of the way, the Braves decided to seek help in the free agent market. Lo and behold there was a sighting of Yasiel Puig at The Battery in Cobb County and he was not there to do some shopping. Turns out he was there on business and now Yasiel Puig will be a member of the Braves for this 60-game season. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a big leap from what RF production was projected to be with the options the Braves already had and what the production will be with Puig holding that position on the field, especially since he has come in Atlanta fold on a negative note after it had a disappointing season by its standards as it bounced between the two Ohio baseball clubs.

The big caveat is that bringing Puig in as a replacement for Markakis could end up being an improvement since a “bad year” for the 29-year-old Cuban slugger is still good enough to make him an average league hitter in baseball. right now. That kind of production means that as long as we’re talking about an ideal situation where the Braves are as healthy as possible, they no longer have to worry about the correct field being a platoon. The Braves are likely not signing a career 124 wRC + hitter under the age of 30 to split time into a platoon hitter. They’ll probably just put him in right field and deal with the acceptable level of defense while reaping the benefits of pop at his bat.

Puig’s pop is a great reason to get excited. When it comes to the wRC + comparison between Markakis and Puig, Markakis really had the advantage at one point last year. Where Puig should get the slack back is in his power: Puig’s career, Isolated Power, is near the magic number of .200 which indicates that a boy is a serious threat to harm baseball. His Isolated Power was at .191 to end 2019, which was a precipitous drop from the .227 and .224 numbers with which he ended 2018 and 2017, respectively. If Puig gets that number back to above .200 this season, the Braves should be happy with the results. This would normally be the part where I would say we can probably catch Puig by at least 20 diners, but this is the weird season we’re dealing with here, so you will just have to trust me when I tell you that Puig will probably be a good bet to hit a good number of home runs this season.

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images

Judging by Puig’s cut lines over the past four seasons, it seems like power is the only thing out of the ordinary when it comes to his 2019 season and even with that, he still hit 24 home runs and wasn’t that far from have an ISO of .200. I am not going to tell you that it will return to its Puig-a-Mania state 2013-2014 any time soon. I’m saying it will be good for a stat line that would be comparable to a season between 1.0 and 3.0 WAR. If it’s closer to a comparable 3.0 WAR season, then Alex Anthopoulos will be pleased with this reunion, Braves fans should be very happy with what he brought to the table and the locker room should also appreciate the fact that Puig was able to get in. . and be a capable replacement for Nick Markakis.

As for the entire Yasiel Puig “Experience” that you will probably hear a lot about, I’m actually looking forward to seeing how he will relate to the team. One of the underrated aspects of Atlanta’s success in the past two seasons has been the fact that they apparently have a clubhouse culture as strong as any in baseball right now. You rarely hear of discord or internal battles with the Braves and chances are good there is no problem with that with Puig in the fold. If that were the case, then Alex Anthopoulos probably would not have considered signing an agreement with the former Dodger and Puig would not have been considered anywhere else.

Also, anyone who is responsible for making one of the best baseball paintings of all time is always welcome.

When it comes to simply talking about winning, Yasiel Puig has spent a lot of time in winning clubs. He entered with the Dodgers in 2013, which is also when Los Angeles began his reign over the National League West, which is still happening right now. Puig ended the 2019 season in Cleveland, who ended the season with 93 wins. Every team Puig has been on has ended the season with at least 90 wins; Furthermore, the man remains a beloved figure in the Los Angeles fan base and definitely made a good impression on the organization and Cleveland fans during his short time there. The Braves are a good bet to be a good team this season, and Puig has done nothing more than combine well with good teams throughout his career. I imagine that the Braves and Puig clubhouse are going to go together like a hand in a glove and I would be surprised if there is any problem in the future. He is a winner and the Braves need winners.

Overall, I’m pretty excited to see how things unfold in Atlanta for Puig. He has always been an extremely entertaining player to follow from a neutral point of view, and now we have the pleasure of cheering him on as this season progresses. At the very least, the Braves are going to have a league average hitter who should fit the clubhouse perfectly. If we get something similar to this it would be an extremely charming bonus and we will all be happy Braves fans at the end of the baseball season.