Following an eight-month span that saw Los Angeles Dodgers sparkplug outfielder Yasiel Puig get in trouble twice for instances of reckless driving, Puig has decided to adopt a designated driver, tabbing his cousin to drive him around from now on.
Puig, 23, spoke with Dodgers team president Stan Kasten on Thursday, and according to ESPN he informed the president that he would be having his cousin drive him around from now on.
"I give him credit for taking that step if nothing else," Kasten said during a radio appearance, according to ESPN.
Smith served 12 hours of community service to have reckless driving and speeding charges against him dismissed after he was clocked in April driving 97 mph in a 50 mph zone in Tennessee. Smith was once again charged with reckless driving for allegedly driving 110 mph in a 70 mph zone in Florida last month.
Puig finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Miami Marlins phenom pitcher Jose Fernandez after hitting .319 with 19 homers in 104 games last season, but his attitude has turned a lot of people off and after his second reckless driving episode the young outfielder knew he needed a change.
Kasten told ESPN that he and general manager Ned Colletti met with Puig after his latest run-in with the law and Kasten also went to Tennessee for a face-to-face meeting with the Cuban defector after his first incident in April when he was playing with the team's Double-A affiliate.
"I sat him down myself when that happened and made it clear what we expect of him," Kasten said per ESPN. "I said then that, even if he thinks he can get away with it because he's in Chattanooga, if you ever get to the big leagues, nothing -- nothing -- is going to escape attention. He brought that up to me today."
A video of the second incident was released on Wednesday and showed an officer scolding Puig for driving too fast with his mother in the car. Puig then pleaded with the officer to let him go.
Puig was a spark in the Dodgers turnaround last season that saw the team eventually clinch the NL West for the first time since 2009.
The team just hopes the troublesome outfielder will put his problems to the side and help them repeat as NL West champs in 2014.
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