Yasiel Puig‘s September slump has been a cause for concern for many, especially with the Dodgers heading into the postseason. For the month, he’s hit .214, easily the worst month of his career.
Given that, it seems odd to say that his September may actually add to the promise he’s shown all year rather than subtract from it. Specifically, I made the point a while ago about his increasing month-by-month pitch per plate appearance totals, and September marked another improvement, as he took 3.77 P/PA.
More importantly though, Puig is arguably having his second-best month in the majors in terms of peripherals. He has posted a 10.1% walk rate and 22.2% strikeout rate with a .238 ISO. Furthermore, his line is .214/.333/.452/.786 primarily because of a .214 BABIP. Hey, he wasn’t going to have had a .430 BABIP forever.
That said, whether you believe in momentum or not, Puig struggling going into the postseason is not what the Dodgers want to see. However, taking a glance at the slash line and concluding that this is a sign of impending doom and a gigantic red flag is extremely premature. In fact, I’ve come away impressed that he has been able to remain a solid offensive producer despite his average regression, and perhaps the best part is the fact that he remained patient throughout, despite his struggles.