The Dodgers are 4-1 in the five games since Puig has entered the lineup and that is not a surprise considering what he has done. In those 5 games, Puig has gone 8-19, with a double, 4 HR and 10 RBI, including a grand slam to win one of the games. His solo HR gave the Dodgers their only run until they squeaked out a run in the 10th to beat the Braves last night. Though his .421 batting average, 1.555 OPS and 320 OPS+ will not continue for long, he has certainly made a case for his bat to remain in the lineup when Kemp and Crawford return.
The Angels were 7-14 when they recalled Mike Trout to play on a regular basis. At the time, the Angels were looked at as a huge disappointment after off season signings of 1B Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. Though Trout did not hit right away, he led them to a 18-11 May and by the end of the season was a lot of people's choice for the league MVP. Prior to the season, it seemed Trout may have not had a starting spot due to the Angels 2012 projected OF of Torri Hunter, Vernon Wells and Bobby Abreu/ Mark Trumbo. While Trumbo played some 3B, Abreu was released and Wells became a part time player last season, the same could be said about the Dodgers and their OF. Crawford, Kemp and Andre Ethier seemed to have the spots locked, leaving little to no room for Puig. If Puig hits at this pace, the Dodgers would look like fools to send him down once the other OFs are healthy.
The Dodgers currently sit at 27-33, 7.5 games behind the 1st place Diamondbacks after finishing 2012 86-76. They were 26-32 without Puig and are now 4-1 with him. The Angels, like I said were 7-14 before Trout came up and finished the season at 89-73. This means the team was 82-59, 23 games over .500, after Trout came up. It will be interesting to see if Puig has the same impact.