PH Herrmann for Buxton

[DaveW]

That might be the dumbest PH decision I have ever seen. Why? Just, why?

[Thrylos]

Because Buxton today at the plate was as good as you and I?

 

4 PAs, 4 Ks.  

 

I can do that.  For sure.

[DaveW]

Herrmann is a career .190 hitter with a .551 OPS....there is zero reason he should EVER PH for anyone other than a pitcher.

 

Or maybe, show a tad bit of confidence in buxton who was 4 out of 9 prior to this game.

[jimbo92107]

Buxton's plate discipline looked terrible today, but you're right, PH'ing Herrmann for Buxton did not make sense. Maybe Molitor had a notion that Herrmann was due...who knows.

[drock2190]

Yeah lets have Buxton strike out 5 times. 

 

Lets see just how that is good for him mentally. Game was over anyway.

[bluechipper]

How can you justify thinking that Chris Hermann had a better chance at getting on base than Byron Buxton? I didn't think that was possible.

[bluechipper]

 

Yeah lets have Buxton strike out 5 times. 

 

Lets see just how that is good for him mentally. Game was over anyway.

So pinch hitting the worst hitter on the team for him is better for his confidence?

[DaveW]

If you absolutely must PH for buxton (which you shouldn't) then why not have Rosario PH for him and just have Robinson swing away the at bay prior? Or hell, put Nunez in, not a career .550 OPS guy who has zero speed to boot.

[drock2190]

 

So pinch hitting the worst hitter on the team for him is better for his confidence?

 

No, but who wants a 5 strikeout game on their resume right out of the gate.

[bluechipper]

Exactly, even if Hermann was believed to have a marginally better chance to get on, it's going to take an extra base hit or multiple hits to score him and he wouldn't need any special attention paid to him at first.

[bluechipper]

 

No, but who wants a 5 strikeout game on their resume right out of the gate.

True, but wouldn't you rather have 5 Ks than be pinch hit for by the backup catcher?

[mikecgrimes]

Unless Buxton was hurt I don't care if he had 4 HR's or 4 strikeouts, he's an OK hitter with speed, he has a decent chance of scoring on two singles either with a SB in between or forcing a bad throw with his speed. 

 

And if Herman hit's a HR or comes around to score another way I really don't like Buxton being out the rest of the night.  Heck even if we score 3 as a result one hit to the gap that Buxton could have tracked down could give all that back.  

[mikecgrimes]

On second thought this suggests Molitor would have pinch hit for Kubel in game 2 versus New York in 2005?

[Dr. Evil]

Maybe Buxton had to poop?

[sane]

That might be the dumbest PH decision I have ever seen. Why? Just, why?

If you pinch-hit for someone with four strikeouts, it can't be the dumbest PH decision. If you can't PH good for bad, at least you are pinch-hitting lukewarm for ice-cold.

[Kwak]

I'm going with:  Molitor had a hunch.  Managers do that.  I  would not have pinch-hit for Buxton,  but because of Byron's speed.  He might score on two hits.  But, I  would not worry about Buxton's psyche because he might K five times.  

[bluechipper]

Is there even that big of a difference between the stigma of 4 strikeouts versus 5?

[Bark's Lounge]

If one were to examine my career resumé, they would not find any baseball managerial or coaching jobs listed on the said resumé. I would not be hired for any of those jobs... I would be laughed at in my interview, if it got that far, which it would not have.

 

Saying that, as a fan, it was disappointing to see Herrmann pinch hit for Buxton. I can understand if the move was made to protect Buxton's head space, but if that is the case, that should definitely cause some concern.

 

This game had a rotten egg smell from the get go. You get to see one of the more prolific power hitting young players in this game launch a 500ft HR, only to have it become a double because of a poorly constructed domed stadium... rotten eggs all the way.

 

The Twins have played up and down baseball all season and Molitor's first year at the helm has had its ups and downs as well. Hopefully the players and coaches learn something from this season to make the future better.

 

That is my two cents.

[bluechipper]

 

If one were to examine my career resumé, they would not find any baseball managerial or coaching jobs listed on the said resumé. I would not be hired for any of those jobs... I would be laughed at in my interview, if it got that far, which it would not have.

 

Saying that, as a fan, it was disappointing to see Herrmann pinch hit for Buxton. I can understand if the move was made to protect Buxton's head space, but if that is the case, that should definitely cause some concern.

 

This game had a rotten egg smell from the get go. You get to see one of the more prolific power hitting young players in this game launch a 500ft HR, only to have it become a double because of a poorly constructed domed stadium... rotten eggs all the way.

 

The Twins have played up and down baseball all season and Molitor's first year at the helm has had its ups and downs as well. Hopefully the players and coaches learn something from this season to make the future better.

 

That is my two cents.

Just wondering, if you already had 4 strikeouts in a game, wouldn't you be eager to get another AB to try to redeem yourself?

[Bark's Lounge]

 

Just wondering, if you already had 4 strikeouts in a game, wouldn't you be eager to get another AB to try to redeem yourself?

Sure, and if I K'ed a 5th time, chalk it up to having a bad game and get back after it tomorrow.

[sane]

Maybe Buxton had to poop?

I doubt it because he had already pooped four times tonight.

[Shane Wahl]

 

That might be the dumbest PH decision I have ever seen. Why? Just, why?

 

Yes, that is really terrible. Really terrible. It's indefensible, so I am not going to read any other posts in this thread.

[jimbo92107]

I will say this about Buxton. Today he did not look ready to hit major league pitching. He looked hesitant and uncertain, like a rookie with no plan at the plate. If you don't go up there with a plan, those major league pitchers will eat you up. Could be that Molitor was giving the kid a break from an embarrassing day. Could be he thought Herrmann had a home run in his bat. 

 

It is possible that Byron Buxton isn't quite ready to be a major league hitter. If it were earlier in the season, they might send him down to AAA for another month, but it's too late for that now. Buxton may scuffle at the plate for a while, maybe get platooned after Hicks gets back. We're still talking about a highly talented but somewhat raw young man whose game needs refinement. If 90 percent of the game is 60 percent mental, Buxton still needs to work on at least a third of that before he'll have his A game ready for prime time.

[USAFChief]

I'll go out on a limb here and speculate it was a LH pinch hitter for a rookie RH hitter, against a RH pitcher, in a situation where one out is all you have to play with.

 

It's not all that complicated.

[Seth Stohs]

I want Buxton batting as much as possible. However, he looked just terrible in his first four at bats. In his first three at bats, Smyly was throwing fastballs between 88 and 91, pretty much right down the middle and he wasn't hitting it. I agree that Molitor played a hunch in a playoff race, and I have no problem with that. 

[Pius Jefferson]

Is it wrong to suggest moving Buxton down in the lineup? Dozier can hit lead-off and Rosario second until Hicks returns. 

[stringer bell]

Buxton looked totally out of it at the plate. I said yesterday that Molitor seemed to be in playoff mode managing and that would mean that development a player's egos are not a priority. It is too bad that seemingly 20 straight short starts have necessitated an eight-man bullpen leaving the Twins with poor and worse options to pinch-hit, but Buxton didn't look like he stood a chance against mediocre fastballs from Smyly, it seems pretty likely he would have had a noncompetitive at-bat vs. Boxberger.

[howeda7]

Holy over-reaction, Batman! Buxton was completely lost at the plate tonight and Hermann has been swinging well lately. It was hardly ideal, but Buxton wasn't hitting a HR there, so relax.

[John Bonnes]

 

If you absolutely must PH for buxton (which you shouldn't) then why not have Rosario PH for him and just have Robinson swing away the at bay prior? Or hell, put Nunez in, not a career .550 OPS guy who has zero speed to boot.

 

I think that might have been the original plan. And I think that would have happened if Suzuki reached. 

 

But Suzuki didn't. Personally, I would've rather done wha tyou suggested - take my chances with Shane and pinch hit Rosario for Buxton.

 

But once he had lost Rosario, I don't blame him too bad for sending up Herrmann, who can at least bat left-handed, instead of Buxton. Buxton was lost in the tall weeds tonight. He was swingin and missing fastballs right down the middle. He was not even fouling them off. 

[curt1965]

That might be the dumbest PH decision I have ever seen. Why? Just, why?

Hey, I love ya Dave, but I thought it was a correct move. I actually thought Molitor had a lot of guts to try that, knowing he would be second guessed. It didn't work. Next.....

I agree that Buxton has a ways to go to be considered a major league hitter. He will get there, but he isn't close right now. Several posters have commented he looked lost on a 90 mph fastball, down the middle with no movement. Anybody who has played the game will tell you some days the ball looks like a pea, and some days like a basketball. It happens.

Byron needs lots of AB's at the major league level to learn to be the player everyone of us wishes for.

IMHO he just hasn't seen enough quality pitching to be successful right now.