Article: Baldelli and Buxton: The Power of Parallels

[TheLeviathan]

Buxton's injury issues are often blamed on his mentality.

 

He might just be brittle.

[ashbury]

Buxton's injury issues are often blamed on his mentality.

 

He might just be brittle.

He might also combine an average propensity for random injuries (broken toe from a foul ball) with a propensity to hurt himself by going a little too much all-out (crashing into walls and other outfielders).

[DocBauer]

He might also combine an average propensity for random injuries (broken toe from a foul ball) with a propensity to hurt himself by going a little too much all-out (crashing into walls and other outfielders).

 

I have this habit of repeating myself at times, but will do so again here.

 

Buxton might have just had some bad injury luck in 2018, with the toe, etc. And I hope that's what it was. I mean, he wasn't injured running in to a wall, Right?

 

But I remember Robert Smith, the great Viking RB, who was also "injury prone" his first couple of years. HOF RB Tony Dorsett once had a conversation with Smith concerning protecting his body. Basically, he told him about laying down or going out of bounds once in a while to protect himself, because an extra yard or two here and there simply wasn't as important as being available to play and contribute weekly to his team.

 

Now, maybe Smith learned something from that. Maybe he built his body up. Maybe he was just unlucky his fist couple of seasons. But he took off after those first couple of seasons.

 

Migraines are tough to deal with, I've suffered in the past from them. But answers can be found. Weird broken toes and wrist injuries happen. Sucks when they do, especially after you had the best stretch of your young career!

 

What I know and think I know:

 

1] From Span-Hunter-Puckett on down, I don't know in 45+ years I have ever seen a more talented or exciting player than Buxton. Whether it's just waiting for good karma to offset weird injuries in 2018, Baldelli being able to identify and connect with him, or Hunter spending time mentoring him,(which I have advocated repeatedly), but I would do everything I could to work with him. He doesn't have to be "babysat", but being "nurtured " by the organization is not a bad thing.

 

2] For whatever reason, blame who you will, the Twins have been blessed and cursed for some time now with talented CF who have been rushed through the system, and needed time to figure it all out. Sometimes they did with us, sometimes they did elsewhere. I would absolutely run with a healthy Buxton in 2019 as far as i could in 2019 for his development and potential.

 

Aptitude, talent and coaching are all important. And he needs to step forward, learn and grow. But there remains so much here to wait for and watch.

[h2oface]

 

I shake my head at all the fault finders and unfair critics.  Throw 2018 out. Its not fair to cite a year filled with injuries. 

 

Buck showed what he could do in 2017.  I hope he returns to that level once healthy.

 

Buxton started the year healthy and the hope was the last two months of 2017 would carry over. He sucked in 2018 until he got hurt, and then he got hurt and sucked. Lots of players hit well for a couple of months in the show. Even Danny Santana for more than 2 months. Buxton really needs to perfrom now. It is really past time to do his thing, if it is going to happen.

Edited October 27, 2018 by h2oface

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I don't know what the future holds for Buxton and have no interest in speculating. With that said, I sincerely hope he is doing what he can this winter to give him the best chance possible to get back to being that player he was the last couple months of 2017.

 

I think you hit it on the head, Nick, that Baldelli could be a boost in Buxton's efforts to recover from whatever has been ailing him.

 

The one positive from last season was that none of his physical ailments were caused by his seemingly reckless method of playing in the outfield. Hopefully, he will report to spring training healthy and remain so throughout the spring and 2019 season.

that dang hamate bone injury keeps flaring up. I hope Buxton gets his wrist cleaned up early in the offseason.

[Teflon]

Baldelli's first order of business - get a catchy slogan that the troops can rally behind.  "Roc the Boat" seems to  be a natural.

[by jiminy]

 

2] For whatever reason, blame who you will, the Twins have been blessed and cursed for some time now with talented CF who have been rushed through the system, and needed time to figure it all out. Sometimes they did with us, sometimes they did elsewhere. I would absolutely run with a healthy Buxton in 2019 as far as i could in 2019 for his development and potential.

 

I agree. Buxton floundered up here because he was promoted too fast. Same with Gomez, Span, Hicks, Revere. Fans demanded to see them, they weren't ready, and fans turned on them. In every case, they had good years later, at an age they should have been peaking for the Twins. But we'd already burned through their early years and given up on them.

 

Now there will be pressure to do the same with Gordon, because they didn't re-sign Dozier or Escobar, even though he has shown no signs of being ready either.

 

All the outrage at not promoting Buxton at the end of a lost year was completely backwards, IMO. They haven't been stingy with his service time, they squandered it, hampering his development to boot. He clearly lost his confidence; facing big league pitching too early made him constantly change his stance and swing. He shouldn't have been promoted till he improved his pitch recognition and learned to handle outside breaking balls. Then, when promoted, he might have taken off.

 

He still might. But personally I'd want to see him do it consistently in the minors for a while before dumping him into fire. I'd rather see him spend another whole year in AAA than fall apart again in the majors.

 

Same with Sano. Earn your spot on the roster by showing you have learned to cut down the strikeouts. If you don't give them time to change bad habits in the minors, they might never change them.

[Battle ur tail off]

 

I agree. Buxton floundered up here because he was promoted too fast. Same with Gomez, Span, Hicks, Revere. Fans demanded to see them, they weren't ready, and fans turned on them. In every case, they had good years later, at an age they should have been peaking for the Twins. But we'd already burned through their early years and given up on them.

 

 

Span was good right away when he came up. In fact, his first couple years in the league were some of the most productive of his career. 

 

[gil4]

 

Span was good right away when he came up. In fact, his first couple years in the league were some of the most productive of his career. 

That was following a minor-league career that gave little hint that he could be that good.