With apologies to Bruce Springsteen and writer Jon Landau, I saw Major League Baseball's future, and his name is Yasiel Puig.
Puig was the most electric player on the field in a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. He was everywhere — trying to throw out runners at first base from right field or trying to stretch a single into a double in the first game, a 6-4 Yankees victory.
In the Dodgers' 6-0 win in the nightcap, Puig was even better — with a bunt single, a hit by pitch and a stolen base to create a run, followed by an opposite field home run on a night the Dodgers shelled Phil Hughes, who continues to go backward.
Puig, 22, is the kind of young position player the Yankees and Mets would love to build around.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten told The Post that Puig has all the tools to succeed, "plus his willingness to learn in conjunction with his physical talents should project into a very bright future.''
During Puig's first at-bat he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double, but in the eighth inning of that first game he repeated the maneuver on another single to center, turning a no-doubles defense into a double as he slid safely into second.
He is Mr. Excitement. One Dodgers observer said Puig is the closest thing he has seen to Willie Mays. I'm not ready to go that far, but watching Puig play is a treat. The Cuban native is hitting .474 with five home runs since being called up June 3.
Consider these words from a veteran scout at the game: "His wide stance and the way he holds his hands low, and the explosive way the ball comes off his bat, he reminds me of Joe D," the scout said, adding he never has before used that comparison.
Yes, that Joe D. The one and only Joe DiMaggio, the compliment of all compliments.
Puig last night became just the fifth player in the modern era to collect at least 27 hits in his first 15 games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. One of the other four was DiMaggio.
We have to wait to see how this all plays out, but the initial reaction to Puig is one of pure amazement. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder looks like the big kid in Little League, the one who owns the field and knows it.
"No matter what uniform I'm wearing or what country I am playing for," Puig said, "I think I was born to be a baseball player.''
Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly wants to see Puig make better decisions, but he doesn't want to take away his aggressive style.
Donnie Baseball loves Yasiel Baseball.
"He plays with such energy, you can say reckless abandon, so we don't want to take that away from him, but you want him to make good decisions,'' Mattingly said. "So you like him to play full speed the way he does but you want to make sure that he makes good decisions. I want him to take chances. I want him to play like that, but everything in a game is really based on when do you take that chance, is it a good risk? Those are the things he will learn, but he is a fun guy to watch.''
The Yankees were impressed.
"Very interesting player, definitely somebody that has impact," Ichiro Suzuki said.
"He's the real deal," praised Lyle Overbay.
The great Mariano Rivera noted: "He's real aggressive. He's a young boy, so why not? That's how you play the game. Why change when you come to the big leagues?''
Baseball is entertainment, and Puig entertains.
"He has a lot of tools,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He has speed. He has power. He has a good arm. This is a game of adjustments, but there's an awful lot to like about this kid.''
Yes there is. Yasiel Puig has one rock'n'roll MLB future.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com
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