Buxton Injured in AA Debut

[Wookiee of the Year]

Damn.

 

I don't even know what to think. As others have said, I'm relieved to hear it's not worse, while also recognizing a concussion is not to be taken lightly.

 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[lightfoot789]

Sounds crazy but I'm glad it was only a concussion as well.  Could have been so much worse considering how fast he was probably running and not wearing protective gear for such a collision.  I understand that many a player lately has been ruined by concussions, but there are also not many players who have played high school football who haven't had a concussion before.  Most of them have probably gone on to have symptom free lives.   I'm sure he will be fine. 

 

The question no one is asking is - how is Mike Krisnicka?  I hope his injury isn't serious.  He was starting to play well lately.  Is there any word on the other guy?  

 

Prayers are out for both players. 

[nicksaviking]

It looked bad, and there's a good chance he'll be shut down for the year, but as long as he's responsive and has full mobility, I feel better.

[Badsmerf]

A concussion isn't the end of the world. Sure, some players have trouble coming back. Some are fine a few days after. I'm not going to get too wound up about it. 

[70charger]

Just ****.

[howeda7]

Glad he's 'OK' considering. It really does feel like the Twins are snake-bitten. However, you have to wonder if some of this is him just being a fearless/reckless type player on defense. Hopefully he can learn where the line is between playing all out and being foolish.

[teekz]

I'm guessing part of this is playing with new people. Buxton and Kvasnicka are playing together for the first time. They have to learn each others tendecies and each others range.

 

It sounds like Kvasnicka just had a bruise contusion on his hip. He should be playing within a few days.

 

Edit: Kvasnicka's name is really weird and hard to figure out to spell.

[Sarah]

I agree, that was truly frightening- if he "only" has a concussion he is lucky relatively speaking. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Now this is bad luck.  Buxton needs to avoid black cats, wow.

 

I'm laying the blame for this one at your feet, Levi. This is what happens when you say the Twins aren't unlucky.

[biggentleben]

The video of the incident:

 

http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=35349193

 

The amazing thing: the catch was made.

[Sweetwater]

2014 has not been kind to the cream of our crops.

 

 

This sucks. I hope both he and Sano will go back to crushing it next year.

[glunn]

I wish that the Twins would lecture their minor league players to simply let the ball drop rather than risk a collision that might end a career.  Maybe that would do no good, but these are minor league games that mean nothing, and I would rather let a few balls drop than ever see this again.

 

Who knows how good Kubel would have been if not for the collision that destroyed his knee, and now we have a situation where it seems possible that Buxton may never fully recover from the concussion.

 

I also wonder why it would not be possible to provide Buxton with a padded hat to wear in the field for the rest of his career, that might give him some protection against another concussion.  Obviously this applies to all teams and all prospects.  In an era where new materials are being invented all the time, it seems to me that professional sports teams in general should be a lot more proactive in developing innovations to protect their players.

[drjim]

I wish that the Twins would lecture their minor league players to simply let the ball drop rather than risk a collision that might end a career.  Maybe that would do no good, but these are minor league games that mean nothing, and I would rather let a few balls drop than ever see this again.

 

Who knows how good Kubel would have been if not for the collision that destroyed his knee, and now we have a situation where it seems possible that Buxton may never fully recover from the concussion.

 

I also wonder why it would not be possible to provide Buxton with a padded hat to wear in the field for the rest of his career, that might give him some protection against another concussion.  Obviously this applies to all teams and all prospects.  In an era where new materials are being invented all the time, it seems to me that professional sports teams in general should be a lot more proactive in developing innovations to protect their players.

 

Maybe they could have them jog and take half swings too. Could prevent leg and oblique injuries.

[Mr. Brooks]

Let a ball drop??

 

Glunn, it is unfortunate when these incidents occur, but it is a hazard of the job. This may not be the big leagues, but it is still professional baseball. 

 

Let a ball drop because of the maybe 1/1000th of 1% risk of a freak thing like this happening? Wow, my mind is now officially blown. 

[DaveW]

Unlucky injuries happen, you can't wrap him bubble wrap. Things happen, if he is meant to be a star he will be a star. Nobody said these sort of things when Griffey got hurt.

[DaveW]

*him in bubble wrap

[glunn]

Let a ball drop??

 

Glunn, it is unfortunate when these incidents occur, but it is a hazard of the job. This may not be the big leagues, but it is still professional baseball. 

 

Let a ball drop because of the maybe 1/1000th of 1% risk of a freak thing like this happening? Wow, my mind is now officially blown. 

I was talking about letting the ball drop instead of running at top speed into a probable collision with a teammate  In that situation, I believe that the probability of a significant injury is higher than .0001%.  I also believe that near collisions are not that common and that even if players were more conservative, the number of balls allowed to drop would be fairly small.

 

In my mind, a minor league game is essentially a training exercise akin to an exhibition game.  I don't like seeing prospects diving into the dugout to try to make a catch and taking similar risks in an exhibition game.  Yes, this shows heart and we all love the effort.  But now it's possible that Buxton may never fully recover and that makes me question what happened.

 

I appreciate the value of players always giving 110% and being willing to sacrifice their bodies to make a play.  But I am not the only person who feels that players like Puig on the Dodgers need to dial it down a little to reduce the risk of a major injury.  Now that Buxton has suffered what seems like a significant concussion, I wish that he would be a little more careful in what I see as essentially exhibition games.

 

I also understand that the centerfielder should yell to the corner outfielder to make it clear who should make the catch.  I don't know whether Buxton called for the ball or not.  I just wish that one of the two players had veered out of the way and we did not have to worry about whether Buxton will never be the same.  Also, I wish that someone would design comfortable headgear for outfielders that gives them at least some protection.  In my mind, even some protection would be better than none.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Something tells me that Buxton is done for the season. Out cold for 10 minutes tells me this was not your run of the mill concussion.

[Steven Buhr]

I think expecting any young player to give less than 100% in a game situation is unrealistic, at best.

 

90% of these guys are wishing on a wing and a prayer to make the big leagues. You think any of them will dial it back when their best (if not only) shot at the Show is to prove to their organization how hard they're willing to work and play?

 

You're also not going to have "non-prospects" going all out and "prospects" taking it easy.

 

Finally, I don't believe you can expect a kid to spend 3-5 years playing at 95% effort and then, when they get to the big leagues, see them dial it back up to a level they haven't been producing at in the minors.

 

In sports, accidents happen, unfortunately. You can't take extreme measures to mitigate risk without significantly changing the result on the field.

[Mr. Brooks]

 Now that Buxton has suffered what seems like a significant concussion, I wish that he would be a little more careful in what I see as essentially exhibition games.

 

You may view them as "exhibition games", but I can guarantee you that not a single person on the field does, and I also can almost guarantee you that if any of them did view it as such, they would immediately have zero respect from any of their teammates, opponents, or fans in the stands. 

[Blackjack]

here is some interesting info:

 

 

 

Sounds like the ball was to the right fielder (who caught it) Not sure whether he yelled for it or not.  And Buxton was overzealous and kinda caused this himself...

I think Buxton is feeling the pressure of being the number one prospect in baseball, trying a little too hard to live up to that billing. If hes going to live up to his billing he'll need to learn to play smarter and not harder, learn that hes not superman and can't run thru walls and run down every ball.

 

Bud Grant had a saying about the same players are always hurt, wish I could find it.

[Badsmerf]

Nobody knows how bad this concussion is. Knocked out or not, the severity of each is different. He is young and has a greater ability to heal. After all symptoms are gone let him dh for a little while. You can't bubble wrap him and expect him to be ready for the mlb, but you can try and avoid another concussion for the remainder of the season while getting him competitive at bats.