2024 Caribbean Series: Ozzie Guillén very high on Yasiel Puig

[Kevin Barral]

Following Venezuela's win over the Dominican Republic on Thursday, manager Ozzie Guillén said the former MLB All-Star is still a special talent.

MIAMI, FL—As Venezuela took down the Dominican Republic by a final score of 3-1, left fielder Yasiel Puig put the finishing touches on what was an electric night of Caribbean Series baseball at loanDepot park. His solo home run in the eighth inning left the bat at 107.6 miles per hour and went 436 feet. The hottest hitter during the Venezuelan Winter League's 2023-24 season, Puig's power is translating to U.S. soil.

As Yordano Carmona of Pelota Cubana mentioned to Puig in the postgame press conference, the first-year Tiburones de La Guaira player had gone 1,630 days since he hit his last major league home run. The Cuban veteran was in shock to hear the number, but glad about the situation that his homer came in.

"For me, all home runs and all hits are special," said Puig. "What's special to me is that we're here in the Caribbean Series. I've always wanted to play in a Caribbean Series or World Baseball Classic and I've been given the opportunity to play the Caribbean Series with the Tiburones de La Guaira and with Venezuela. They were the country that gave me an opportunity and anything that I can do on the field for this team is special for me."

Following Puig's response, manager Ozzie Guillén then expanded on the question and spoke highly of Puig:

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"I see the majority of MLB games, but mostly in the American League and I think that Puig has a better talent than 70% of those players. Since I first had the chance to watch him play here with the Tiburones de La Guaira, I think that it's worth and personally something joyous to see (Puig) back in the Major Leagues. The talent is there, the attitude is there and the hunger is there."

—Ozzie Guillén on Yasiel Puig

Since Puig joined the Tiburones, he has slashed .351/.441/.656/1.097 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs in 44 games played. On Thursday, Puig went 1-for-3 with a walk and the aforementioned home run. He has not played in Major League Baseball since 2019 and doesn't have a contract in place for the 2024 season.

Puig and Venezuela have an off day on Friday, but will be at Florida International University to practice for their game on Saturday, which is at 10:30 a.m. against Curacao.

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