It’s no secret that baseball – and fantasy baseball, for that matter – is a numbers game. We continuously discuss batting averages, slugging percentages and strikeout rates, and the sabermetric community has inundated us with acronyms like xFIP, BABIP and ISO that take the numbers game to a whole new level. Maybe we acknowledge a tweak we see in a player’s mechanics, but it all comes down to the hardcore figures in the end.

But what if it’s not just about the numbers? What if your fantasy baseball success rides on a leap of faith? Maybe a player’s track record and past numbers tell one story, but everything you’re seeing right now tells another. So goes the life of a Yasiel Puig owner.

If you want to start with the numbers, yes, the past three years have been a colossal disappointment. He burst onto the scene in 2013 with that power/speed combo fantasy owners salivate over, and when the 2014 season was nearing, many had him pegged as a second-round, must-have talent. Some folks even took him at the tail end of the first. He was 2014’s version of Trea Turner.

But not only did Puig fail to live up to the hype, but his off-the-field issues – the bat flips, the questions about his work ethic – took on a much greater focus than his on-the field performance. He clashed with his manager, Don Mattingly, and when the Dodgers made the change to Dave Roberts, there was more talk about how Roberts would handle Puig’s attitude than there was about adjustments the enigmatic outfielder needed to make at the plate. The first half of 2016 picked up right where 2015 left off, and Puig remained one of the least desirable outfielders to own for fantasy baseball purposes. He was the real-life Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh with his million-dollar talent and five-cent head.

But this year, we’re seeing a different Yasiel Puig. He opened the season strong and after a brief, four-game slump (4-for-22), he’s back raking and putting that million-dollar talent back on display. He hit safely in five straight games, flashed both power and speed and is currently batting .304 with four home runs, 11 RBI and two stolen bases. We’re talking about the change in his batting stance where he’s showing his back more to the pitcher and generating more power with his hip rotation and quick hands, while also noting his improved patience at the plate, as evidenced by his overall swing rates and resistance to chasing pitches outside the zone. Surprisingly, there hasn’t been one single mention of him showing up late for practice or his behavior at a club the night before.

Because of his reputation, though, people’s belief in his improved work on the field is lessened by the concern over him falling back into his bad habits. As a fantasy owner, it becomes very difficult to trust a player like that, regardless of his current production. And that’s where the leap of faith must come in.

You’ve seen the results in the numbers. Now you have to eliminate the behavior concerns. The only way to do that is to cast aside your preconceived notions and take the player at face value.

It helps if you’ve had your own personal experiences with growing up. Think back to what you were like in your early 20s and imagine yourself running around a city the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Now throw in tens of thousands of people cheering your name and being handed millions of dollars (and, in Puig’s case, the culture shock of coming from Cuba). It’s all a bit overwhelming, don’t you think?

But here we are now four years removed from that first season. No one is cheering your name, the media is criticizing your every move and while you still have your millions, enjoying it has become increasingly difficult. Things like that tend to make a person grow.

Puig saw a bit of resurgence during the second half of last season and spent the entire offseason working on his mechanics. He spent hours tweaking his batting stance and brought back the skills that made him such a dynamic player when he first arrived. We know the skill set is there, and we’ve seen some pretty solid early-season returns on his newfound work ethic. Now fantasy owners need to take that leap of faith. We need to give Puig the benefit of the doubt. Could he fall back into his old habits? Sure. But if he doesn’t and you’ve dismissed the changes out of fear, you’ll be missing out on what could be a spectacular breakout campaign.