Yasiel Puig
photo by Tim Evearitt
LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers Yasiel Puig is a finalist for the Baseball Writers' Association of America's season-ending Rookie of the Year award, announced on Tuesday. The other finalists are Jose,Fernandez and Shelby Miller.
Puig, a 22-year-old Cuban defector signed last summer to a $42 million, seven-year contract, was promoted from the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts on June 3, and together with Hanley Ramirez, he jump-started the club's comeback with an historic debut.
In June, he hit .436 with a .713 slugging percentage and won NL Player and Rookie of the Month honors, only the fifth to accomplish that parlay and the first to do it in his first month. He hit four home runs in his first five games and his 44 hits that month were the second-most for a player in his first month since Joe DiMaggio had 48 in May 1936.
On the season, his .319 average was the second-best for a Los Angeles Dodgers rookie behind James Loney's .331 in 2007. His 19 home runs were the most for a Dodgers rookie since Mike Piazza's 35 in 1993. The Dodgers were 66-38 in games Puig appeared.
--- Source: MLB.com
Puig is a daring (reckless at times) base runner
photo by Tim Evearitt