Absence makes the heart grow fonder: An ode to Yasiel Puig's best bat flips

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported that Yasiel Puig plans to celebrate his hits and homers with fewer bat flips this season. If we do indeed see a decline in Puig flips this season, let's us take a moment to remember some of the master's best.

Puig's MLB career began on June 4, 2013 with a pair of home runs and thus, a pair of bat flips. His first is special because it was the first, but his second, which came just an inning later, had a tight, restrained rotation to it that was a sign of great bat flips to come:

His first (and so far, only) walk-off homer on July 28, 2013 was certainly an occasion for bat flipping:

On May 3, 2014, Puig blasted a colossal three-run dinger -- "It burned on re-entry!" --which paired well with his colossal flip:

Occasionally, Puig's flips would be a bit premature, coming on routine fly-outs:

But there's a reason Vin Scully christened him the bat-flip maestro:

Just look at this bat flip, perhaps Puig's most extravagant, after not a home run, but drawing a walk:

Even his Spring Training flips were good:

Finally, his first of 2015 -- a mid-season masterwork: The bat soaring though the air, twirling knob-over-barrel before tumbling to the ground with a thud.  

With fewer planned for this year, that just means we need to savor the ones we do get and take nothing for granted.