It's about Dodgers' Yasiel Puig, because of course it is

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Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Angels during a game in Anaheim last season. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Few baseball players in the Major Leagues have made as big of a splash in their rookie season as Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. After signing a 7-year deal in 2012, Puig made his debut a year later. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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From August 2012 to June 2013, Puig spent his time in the Minor Leagues. In 2012, he played for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Puig signs baseballs before his Major League debut against San Diego Padres in June 3, 2013. His much-awaited debut did not disappoint, as Puig hit 2-for-4. (Harry How / Getty Images)

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His second game was even better than the first. Puig hit two home runs and a double, driving in five runs. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

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Puig became an instant sensation, winning back-to-back National League Player of the Month in his first two months in the Major League. By July, he was a star for the Dodgers, juggling baseballs with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo before the game against the New York Yankees. (Susannah Kay / Los Angeles Times)

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Puig’s stellar rookie season was a big factor into the Dodgers clinching the NL West title in 2013. Puig celebrates with his teammates after clinching the division against Arizona on September 19. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Despite missing out on winning the National League Rookie of the Year, Puig carried his great rookie season deep into October. In 10 games during the postseason, Puig hit .333 and drove in four runs. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Puig shows his frustration after being outed on a double playin the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game 4 of the NLCS. The Dodgers’ hopes of reaching the World Series for the first time since 1998 was dashed as the Cardinals won the series, 4-2. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig signs autographs before the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Minneapolis on July 15, 2014. (Craig Lassig / EPA)

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Yasiel Puig looks on during batting practice for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Minneapolis on July 15, 2014. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig tries to make a catch on a run-scoring triple hit by the Angels’ Mike Trout during the first inning of the 2014 MLB All-Star Game in Minneapolis on July 15. (John G. Mabanglo / EPA)

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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig puts on his batting gloves in the dugout during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 10, 2015.

(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig hits a double against the San Diego Padres on April 7, 2015.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig hits a solo home run during a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on April 12.

(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

By Steve Dilbeck

April 11, 2015 1:31 PM PT

And the correct answer is: “Nothing.”

The question: “What do four games mean?”

There is not a baseball player alive who would want you to put stock in any four-game stretch. They play 162 games in a season, and then if you’re fortunate, more in the postseason. Every player has unproductive stretches.

When it is the first four games of the season, however, they just sort of stand out more. The numbers say Yasiel Puig is hitting .118 (two for 17), and momentarily you have to fight uneasiness.

So we all agree, right? Four games = nothing.

But you know me, I’m a big numbers guy. If you delve slightly deeper, the Puig numbers do not grow more attractive. Puig did not hit at the end of last season nor in the postseason, either.

If you combine his last 35 regular season games and four playoff games to his current start, you get this: .224 average, three home runs and 12 RBI in his last 43 overall games. And if you subtract the seven games in mid-September when he was hot at extreme hitter-friendly Coors Field and Wrigley Field, he’s hit .177 with one home run and six RBI in 38 games (and 43 strikeouts).

That’s not exactly MVP territory for the ultra-talented Puig. Right now, he’s simply not hitting the ball hard. Possibly trying to do too much with right-handed power hitters Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez gone.

We’ve grown to expect a lot from Puig, who just reeks incredible ability. Maybe – hopefully, for the Dodgers -- there is no carryover effect from last season. This is just a crummy four-game stretch that will begin to evaporate Saturday night in the Arizona air. If so, he’ll have to do it off the bench. Andre Ethier is starting for him in right.

And just possibly it should be kept in mind this has been going on since the middle of August.

It’s about Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, because of course it is

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