Puig reminds Crawford of another star rookie

SAN FRANCISCO -- Carl Crawford drew an interesting comparison to what he's seen teammate Yasiel Puig do in his first month as a Major Leaguer.

"I've seen this happen before, in Tampa Bay," said Crawford. "Evan Longoria came up and had the same effect and we went to the World Series. It kind of reminds me of that."

Longoria was in the big leagues in April 2008 for Tampa Bay, was an All-Star and was named the American League Rookie of the Year. He hit 27 home runs in 122 games as Tampa Bay lost to the Phillies in the World Series.

"Even though they explained to me the situation [four outfielders for three spots] and I want to play every day, I still like the direction of the team and want to help us go as far as I can," said Crawford.

"I just want to be part of it. There's definitely something special here. It's amazing to see the turnaround with Puig. We saw him in Spring Training, but you still never know what he's going to do. Nobody can say they saw this coming. We're all surprised."

Crawford said he would have no problem with Puig being an All-Star.

"I don't see why not. He's become an international star," Crawford said. "I'm sitting in Arizona [rehabbing], people are talking about him. It's cool for the game, a Cuban guy and what he's done for the city of L.A. I definitely think he should be."

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he hasn't been asked by National League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy about Puig and the All-Star Game. And if Bochy asked, what would Mattingly tell him about Puig?

"He's really good, I won't lie," he said. "I'm sure he sees it. It's hard to argue with the numbers. I'd like to see him in it. I'm glad I'm not in the process of making the decision."