Yasiel Puig’s Gladwellian Success
Extraordinary Opportunities, Lucky Breaks, and Grit
By Carrie Park | International Business and Marketing Major at Bethel University (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Yasiel Puig starts the game against the San Diego Padres with a single. The crowd lets out a silent disappointment as they wonder the actual worth of a Cuban defector that played with “Popeye forearms” and “ XXL chest”. Soon, it is time for the last inning, and Puig finishes the game with an armor-piercing throw that gets the second out in a double play for his team. By the end of the month, Puig accomplished 44 hits and was named the runner-up for National League Rookie of the year in 2013 (Katz). However, no one knew about the untold journey of Yasiel Puig and his escape from Cuba to Los Angeles that made him to be what Gladwell would consider an outlier.
Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist, speaker, and an author best known for his work, the Outliers: the Story of Success, that was published in 2008. According to Gladwell, “if you work hard enough, assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires” (Gladwell 151) which is what exactly Puig did with his life.
Yasiel Puig found himself in the Dodgers lineup with number 66 written across his back on June 3rd of 2013 after successfully fleeing from his country. He was a 23-year-old baseball player from Cuba who weighed 240 pounds and was built more to be a football player. Many people doubted his playing ability and believed that the Dodgers made a mistake for breaking the record by signing a seven years contract with the Dodgers for $42 million. However, Yasiel Puig was determined to be successful and eliminated any doubts against him after his debut as the Los Angeles Dodger.
“Outliers are those who have been given opportunities — and those who have the strength and presence of mind to seize them” (Gladwell 267). Puig is widely known for his talent in the sports world of baseball as well as for his character that epitomizes Gladwellian theories of an outlier in regards to extraordinary opportunities, grit, and lucky break.
Yasiel Puig wasn’t born into a life that was designed for him to succeed. However, extraordinary opportunities have the power to lead a person to success as long as they are willing to embrace them like Yasiel Puig. There was a time in Puig’s life where the future didn’t seem so promising for him. Even after he made his escape from Cuba, he was faced with many different trials. However, Mike Brito, a longtime scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers saw something special in Puig when he had seen him play in Canada at a tournament for players under the age of 18. Since then, Brito made sure to never lose track of Yasiel Puig. As a result, Brito urged Logan White, the vice president of amateur scouting for the Dodgers, to personally fly to Mexico where then Puig was to offer him the opportunity to play in the MLB for $42 million for the time period of even years; a record-breaking deal for who was considered a Cuban defector (Kent).
In the movie, Moneyball, produced by Michael de Luca, Billy Beane also saw hidden advantages in players that eventually led his team to success despite the doubts from his peers (Luca). Like Billy Beane, Mike Brito knew Yasiel Puig possessed a hidden advantage that was worth taking a risk for. Additionally, Kelley Hinseth describes the importance of saying yes to every opportunity in her personal interview when striving for success. With every opportunity, she claims that “there is always a lesson to learn and grow from” (Hinseth). Special opportunities allowed Puig’s dreams to become reality. Without these opportunities, he wouldn’t have been able to become the player he is today. However, it also takes grit as well as a strong mindset for an individual to fully embrace the opportunity they were given because the truth is it is not only about the opportunity — it’s also about what you are going to do with it which is what Puig exactly did when he was given his chance.
As it has been previously mentioned, it is evident that grit played a huge role in Puig’s success. Puig was not born into fame. He overcame many different obstacles to be the person he is today. For nearly a year, Puig attempted to escape from Cuba numerous times where he was being only paid $17 a month to play baseball for Fidel Castro’s state-run league. However, his escape for the fourth time came to a halt temporarily when the smugglers kept him hostage in Mexico. He has risked his life every time he tried to escape his country until he finally reached Miami with the help of his acquaintance, Raul Pacheco (Katz).
Puig’s situation could be compared to the football players that were described in the novel, Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger. The book was based in Odessa, Texas where it was stated in the novel that “nothing about living in Odessa was easy. Finding a scrubby tree that could barely serve as a Christmas tree took two days. Even dealing with cattle rustlers and horse thieves had to be compromised; they were shot instead of hanged because there weren’t any trees tall enough from which to let them swing” (28). Odessa was a town where racial tension ran deep, and people were separated by their social status in the community.
As an African-American student at Permian high school, you were expected to play football. If you were unable to perform on the football field for any reason, you were no longer important to the people in your town. Boobie Miles in the novel, Friday Night Lights, is a prime example of this concept. Miles was one of the best football players for the Permians until he suffered an injury that ultimately ended his football career. As a result, these football players worked hard and pushed through the challenges of the racial barrier that existed in Odessa with grit so that they will one day play for the Permians underneath the famous Friday night lights (Bissinger).
Margaret Perlis also writes how Angela Duckworth, the founder and CEO of Character Lab as well as an academic psychologist, shares a common theory with Malcolm Gladwell regarding the concept of grit. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the context of behavior that is often found in grit is simply defined as “firmness of character;indomitable spirit”. However, Duckworth defines grit to be “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” based on her previous studies. Duckworth further her idea by stating the five characteristics of grit; courage, conscientiousness, resilience, excellence, and endurance (Perlis).
Yasiel Puig attempted to escape Cuba in order to pursue his passion for nearly a year before he finally reached the United States. He risked his life every time he made an attempt, but it was grit that kept him from giving up. Puig faced many different barriers like the football players in the Friday Night Lights, and it is evident that they shared the five characteristics of grit that Duckworth mentions based on her studies.
Yasiel Puig was traveling with three companions; a striving model, boxer, and Santeria priest. This was his fourth attempt to escape Cuba, and he was more desperate than ever for a miracle to happen. The four of them set off by car in June, 2012 to the northern province of Matanzas along the southern shore of Cuba which was 90 miles from Florida. When they arrived at the location, they were met by five men in a cigarette boat. However, Puig soon found himself in a dark motel room in Yucatan Peninsula after learning that the men belonged to a smuggling ring, and they weren’t traveling to Florida. The men who became known as smugglers requested money for his freedom. All hope seemed to be lost until an offer was made by a man who goes by the name of Raul Pacheco.
Raul Pacheco was a small time criminal based in Miami who was on probation for attempted burglary as well as possession of a fake ID at the time. It was truly a lucky break for Yasiel Puig when Pacheco made an offer to the smugglers to pay $250,000 in return for Puig’s freedom because Puig and Pacheco were not familiar with each other. Before he left Cuba himself, he befriended a boxer named Yunior Despaigne who also happened to be one of Puig’s friends. As a result, Despaigne alerted Pacheco regarding Puig’s situation that convinced Pacheco to make an offer to the smugglers for his freedom.
John Malangone also had a similar lucky break as Puig in his story. Malangone is known as one of the most talented catchers in MLB history when he played for the New York Yankees during the 1950’s. Growing up, he dealt with many different traumas in his life yet it was a lucky break that led him to the path of success. Paul Krichell was a Yankees scout at the time when he noticed Malangone on the field at East Harlem’s Jefferson Park throwing a baseball with his friend, Paulie Tine. He saw potential in Malangone, and personally invited him to a tryout at the Yankee Stadium where the Yankee coaches themselves were able to see what Malangone was capable of. Three days later, the New York Yankees were on his street to sign him to play in the MLB (Smith). The lucky breaks allowed Puig’s talent as well as his capabilities shine through his passion that led him to be successful in his career.
Malcolm Gladwell defines in his written work, The Outliers: the Story of Success, that “lucky breaks don’t seem like the exception with software billionaires and rock bands and star athletes. They seem like the rule” (Gladwell 56). Lucky breaks is not a concept that is applied to successful individuals by choice. It is almost a necessity that one needs in order to succeed in life. Without the lucky breaks that were identified in Puig’s life, he would have never been given the chance to be as successful as he is today.
Yasiel Puig swings the bat once again for a home run in a 0–0 game against the Cincinnati Reds. He blows a kiss as he points upwards to the sky after he proudly walks the bases of the field. Yasiel Puig was no longer the mysterious Cuban defector. Instead, he became known as the “wild horse” for his outstanding performance in the postseason for the Dodgers. “Dormir es cuando te toca morir. The phrase loses something in translation, but not much: sleep is when it’s your turn to die. For that reason, I sleep with one eye open” (Katz). When asked what is the key to success, Puig always recognizes the importance of working hard for your dream despite the obstacles you may face.
Oftentimes, we blame our circumstances for our lack of success. However, Yasiel Puig is an example of an outlier who defeated all the odds in his life that supports the Gladwellian theories of extraordinary opportunities, lucky breaks, and grit. “Success is a function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for twenty-two minutes to make sense of something that most people would give up on after thirty seconds” (Gladwell 246). Perhaps, the most important lesson Yasiel Puig has taught us is that we all have the power within us to lead ourselves to success.
WORKS CITED
Bissinger, H. G. Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream. Da Capo Press, 2015.
Cashmore, Ellis. “Tiger Woods and the New Racial Order.” Current Sociology 56.4 (2008): 621–34. Web.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the Story of Success. Penguin Books, 2009.
Hinseth, Kelly. Personal Interview. 24 April 2020.
— . “Nick Wolff’s Hockey Journey…as Told by His Parents.” Duluth CBS3 Sports Tonight. 28 March, 2020. Web.
Katz, Jesse. “Escape from Cuba: Yasiel Puig’s Untold Journey to the Dodgers.” Los Angeles Magazine, 15 Aug. 2019. Web.
Luca, Michael De, et al. Moneyball. 2011.
Perlis, Margaret M. “5 Characteristics Of Grit — How Many Do You Have?” Forbes Magazine, 1 June, 2015. Web.
Smith, Gary. “Damned Yankee: A Dark Secret Kept John Malangone from Fulfilling His Promise.” Sports Illustrated, 7 Jan., 2015. Web.
Smith, Gary “Damned Yankee.” Going Deep: 20 Classic Sports Stories. New York: Sports Illustrated Books, 2008.
Reiter, Ben. “Where Will He Be?” SI.com, 8 July 2013. Web.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carrie Park, a sophomore from Port Washington, Wisconsin, seeks to attend law school after graduation with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Park enjoys spending time with her friends, gardening, and cleaning to relieve stress. She is also a fan of Bruno Mars and Chick-Fil-A.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
Baseball isn’t as boring as I have always thought it to be after having to watch highlights of Yasiel Puig’s career for my research.
Everyone has the potential to be an outlier, as described by Malcolm Gladwell.
Some may be given more extraordinary opportunities than others, but it is what one does with the opportunity that determines their success.
Through Yasiel Puig and the ideas of Malcolm Gladwell, I gained a new perspective on the current situation regarding COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, all classes have been moved online for the rest of the semester and my study abroad program in Italy was cancelled, which resulted in me returning home three months earlier than I had anticipated. I became frustrated with the current situation and I felt as though an opportunity was taken away from me rather than given. However, I learned to see hidden advantages in this season of life. Instead of focusing on the moments that never were, I saw it as an opportunity for me to grow in ways I could have not been able to if it weren’t for this time.
On March 4th of 2020, I walked into a classroom full of students and a professor I didn’t recognize. I took a seat at a table with two other people who soon introduced themselves to me as Sarah and Noah. I was still jet-lagged after traveling from Italy three days before, and I was overwhelmed with the amount of pressure in taking 16 new credits mid-semester during my sophomore year. However, professor Scott Winter and my classmates gave me an extraordinary opportunity to success in the class. Through their guidance and help, I succeeded in passing the class at the end of the semester. I learned how to seize an opportunity that I was given, like Yasiel Puig did in his career.
