That Yasiel Puig is so hot right now. 

The L.A. Times’ Dylan Hernandez (h/t Yahoo! Sports) alerts us to something rather obvious at the moment: Dodger fans are absolutely smitten with Puig. 

However, much like the gaudy stats he is racking up with every at-bat, it’s the numbers behind merchandise sales that tell the whole story. 

The Dodgers sold more Puig-related merchandise from Thursday to Sunday than they had ever sold of any player over a four-day period — more than even Manny Ramirez, Fernando Valenzuela or Hideo Nomo, according to a team spokesperson.

The team sold approximately 3,000 units of Puig-related merchandise in that four-day window, including 1,600 t-shirts ($28), 400 “Viva Puig” t-shirts ($28) and 600 jerseys ($225 for the authentic version, $110 for the replica ones).

Being an L.A. native, I can tell you how astounding the hype was surrounding Manny Ramirez when he became a Dodger. There may even be a Ramirez t-shirt hidden in one of my drawers I am only slightly embarrassed about owning (at least it’s not a commemorative wig).  

I can safely say that the last week usurps any of that hype, only falling short of what life might have been like in Southern California when Fernandomania took over Los Angeles. 

The Dodgers—a team that was considered to be among the most talented in all of baseball at the start of the season—has been mired by injuries and ineffective play. 

The team is 28th in runs scored and it sits at the bottom of the NL West with a 27-36 record. You could say Dodger faithful were at a loss in trying to find the bright spot amid a grim and depressing season. 

Then comes Puig, bashing the ball to all corners of the field. If you are wondering what kind of start the 22-year-old outfielder has had to his career, consider that he just won the NL player of the week award and was intentionally walked in just his third game in the majors. 

While he is no magician—the Dodgers are 4-4 with him in the lineup—he is bringing electricity to Chavez Ravine as well as a .500 batting average and four home runs in 32 at-bats on the season. 

Yes, I guess you could say Angelenos are rather taken with this kid. 

 

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