Cincinnati Reds: 3 takeaways from the comeback win over the Braves

3. Yasiel Puig is a hero in Cincinnati

We all assumed this would happen when the Cincinnati Reds made the trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in December, but we saw it on full display during last night’s game. Yasiel Puig is entertaining and the fans love it.

In his first at-bat, Puig gave the Cincinnati faithful what they’ve been wanting to see since the trade was made. Puig stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the first inning and launched a two-run shot into the upper deck of left-center field.

Great American Ball Park went bananas, especially the section of fans in right field that’s blanketed by signs that read “Let’s Get Puiggy With It!”, “We Love Puig!”, and “Mi Amigo Puig!”. The Reds right fielder is entertaining to say the least.

Puig’s bat is not the only thing that the he brings to the table. The Reds’ right fielder has a cannon for an arm and Dansby Swanson thought better of testing it in the top of the fifth inning. A fly out by Tyler Flowers to Puig in right gave Swanson the chance, but he wisely didn’t take it as Puig rifled a throw home to Tucker Barnhart that would’ve likely resulted in a double play.

Puig added to his RBI total in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to center field and singled to left in the bottom of the eighth inning as well. It was a solid all-round game for Puig and the fans inside GABP loved every minute of it.

What Yasiel Puig’s future in a Cincinnati Reds’ uniform looks like is unclear. The former Dodger is playing in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent at the end of the season. The Reds surely want to see more of this type of play from Puig before committing to him long-term, but with the support he receives from the fans, he’ll be a hard player to let go of if he keeps producing as the season wears on.