Yasiel Puig Vying for Final NL All-Star Spot
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig wasn’t selected for the 2013 NL All-Star squad, but he’s still got one more chance to make the team.
As the 2013 NL and AL All-Star rosters were announced on Saturday, so were the selections for the Final Vote – which lets MLB fans decide who gets the final spot from each league – and wouldn’t you know it, the much-talked-about Puig was included in the NL’s group of five candidates.
National League fans can vote for either Puig, Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond, Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence or Puig’s teammate in L.A., first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Balloting will close on Thursday, July 11.
Although he is an immensely popular player among fans and has put up incredible numbers since being called up to the big leagues in early June, many analysts and other players feel Puig isn’t deserving of an All-Star roster spot due to the simple fact that he has only played in 31 games.
“To me, it’s an absolute joke,” Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon told MLB Network Radio when asked about Puig’s All-Star candidacy, according to ESPN.com. “It’s really kind of stupid, if you ask me.”
Others would argue that Puig’s numbers – albeit from a small sample size – are simply too incredible to ignore. Puig has hit .407 with eight home runs and 19 RBIs since being called up and and has helped his Dodgers climb out of last place in the NL West and back into contention, as L.A. has posted an 18-13 record with Puig in the lineup.
The debate whether or not Puig should be an All-Star is ongoing, but now it comes down to the fans and the mere fact that everyone is talking about Puig might be enough to seal his roster spot. Puig was already a very popular player, and the controversy surrounding his inclusion in the All-Star game certainly has his name and those crazy numbers on everyone’s mind.
Puig definitely has a good chance at getting in – considering he’s already received the most write-in votes (842,915) for any one player since 2006 – but even if he doesn’t, I’m sure we’ll see him in an All-Star game sometime in the near future – that is, if his amazing month of June wasn’t some kind of baseball fluke. And one other thing we can be sure about is that the Dodgers will be much better with him the rest of the season and should now be considered a contender in the wild NL West.
