Article: Byron Buxton: Reckless or Aggressive?

[Mike Sixel]

I'd really like him to learn what he can, and cannot, do.....and act accordingly. I don't think that ball was cartchable, and at this age and experience level, he needs to know that better. Let's hope so.

[jimbo92107]

 

Per my Twitter comment, should Byron be slotted in RF going forward?

Eliminate Perpendicular wall closures vs Oblique? Twins lose speed to deep center vs the predictable Bux annual IR. WAR maybe -2? Otherwise BB on IR for 1/3 to 1/2 each season going forward with his present position.

It's in his DNA to chase-crash on every flyball to deep center. Fine. Kepler = CF; Bux = RF

Scary: we have to close our eyes when Max and Buck converge on a ball to deep right-center......

Just my thoughts.....

Thanks....

Actually, this could be a very good idea. First, if you looked at a combined spray chart of all hitters, I'm guessing you'd see more balls hit to the corner OF areas than to CF. Second, if you shift outfielders to compliment shifting infielders, you could use Buxton in RF to ease the need for pull shifts to that side because he covers so much ground. Third, the oblique wall collisions you mentioned, tho Buxton would have more chances to get hurt on foul balls down the line.

 

Arguing against is the obvious reduction of coverage in CF with Kepler back there, tho he is in fact a rather good, reliable outfielder. Also, Buxton does appear to be getting better at timing and mitigating his wall collisions. Then there are collisions with the walls in foul territory. Third would be collisions with 2nd basemen streaking out to make a football catch in shallow right. Would he even hear Buxton shout "I got it" before they collided? They would need to train very carefully to avoid that scenario. 

[jimbo92107]

 

Pool noodles!  I like it!  So think of the adventure in the outfield of playing one off the wall when there are pool noodles every 6 inches...or a even a foot.  Dang!  This is a game changing idea!  Inside the park homers would abound!  Scoring would go up!  No, you can't just stand and watch your fellow outfielder play it off the wall....the ball might be coming your way!  I love this idea.  Protect the outfielders and add adventure to the game.

Well, to be truthful, I was imagining pool noodles behind a perforated barrier, itself protected by rugged cast iron spikes. You don't want these players getting spoiled!

[wallyrichards]

I'd really like him to learn what he can, and cannot, do.....and act accordingly. I don't think that ball was cartchable, and at this age and experience level, he needs to know that better. Let's hope so.

Look to me to me like he wasn't really trying to catch the ball. It looked like he was trying to run into the wall. I know that's weird but he needs to calm down and make the plays he can make. We know he's good and he'll get better with some time so just relax Bux. He's going to be really good some day.

[MileHighTwinsFan]

As mentioned in a thread somewhere here on TD, Torii Hunter and Kirby Puckett ran in to many walls in their careers, and didn't end up in heap like a fragile broken down fawn.  What's up with Buxton.  Is he a drama queen?

 

Kirby and Hunter played 81 games a year with a fence lovingly called a hefty bag. Pretty sure Buck would be just fine if that was what he contended with.

[yarnivek1972]

As mentioned in a thread somewhere here on TD, Torii Hunter and Kirby Puckett ran in to many walls in their careers, and didn't end up in heap like a fragile broken down fawn. What's up with Buxton. Is he a drama queen?Kirby and Hunter played 81 games a year with a fence lovingly called a hefty bag. Pretty sure Buck would be just fine if that was what he contended with.

 

Really? They also played 81 games on what was essentially a concrete surface that was less than a foot below the astroturf. How do you figure Buxton would have done after a handful of diving catches?

Edited April 5, 2019 by yarnivek1972

[DocBauer]

I have to say this again considering the nature of this article. Why isn't special assistant, or whatever his title is, Hunter working with Buxton? Not only is their talent and prospect and career status/arc similar in many ways, but couldn't the former All Star and Gold Glove winner speak to Buck about defense and self-preservation if nothing else?

 

He can't be paid for a ST appearance and occasional radio broadcasts only, right? They could spend HOURS talking about hitting and approach and expectations. They could also talk about fielding, and preserving your body on plays to the wall. Come on aggressive FO, use all the tools you have on hand to make your players the best they can be!

[old nurse]

Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

[Mr. Brooks]

It's almost as if nobody here remembers Torii breaking his foot on the Fenway wall.

[JD Green]

I would have to call it agressively reckless. I didn't get to see the game or replays, but when you look at the photo above, the ball is hitting the wall about a foot off the ground. And Bux is leaping and crashing into the wall, looking down at the ball? Apparently he had no clue where the ball was. Not a bright play. He needs to keep in mind the season is 162 games, not just 1 week. Maybe some classroom time with Rocco and Hunter followed by practice on the field.

 

[AlwaysinModeration]

And....Buxton is on the bench again today against the Phillies.

 

There was an article several months ago about Jackie Bradley and how he has studied how to handle the wall. Seemed very savvy about it.

 

To me, Buxton needs to start being more cautious around the wall. Period.

[joefish]

I wish he had gotten up and gone after the ball after he misplayed it. Immediately.

[TheLeviathan]

I know we like to give players credit for selflessness, but I can't say I feel good about his crash yesterday.  That was more in the "reckless" category again.

 

And he had a real nice run of much more careful, aggressive plays of late too.  Sorta disappointing to see him jump past the ball to hit the wall and miss the catch.

[ashbury]

I know we like to give players credit for selflessness, but I can't say I feel good about his crash yesterday.  That was more in the "reckless" category again.

 

And he had a real nice run of much more careful, aggressive plays of late too.  Sorta disappointing to see him jump past the ball to hit the wall and miss the catch.

My take on that play, which I already stated in the game thread, was that he's very good at tracking flies, and if the park were a little larger he would have snagged it, instead of a clean miss. So to me that's evidence he was very aware of the wall. Sometimes it can't be fine-tuned better than that.

 

I just hope he's OK and doesn't wind up missing time. I don't recall seeing any updates about this, and unless the news was bad I wouldn't necessarily expect to.

 

As I also said, I wonder if Smeltzer wasn't lucky that Buxton didn't get the ball in his glove. The way the glove went flying at contact, the ball might have popped out and gone over the fence for a homer. The breaks go either way.

[TheLeviathan]

Why would the park need to be larger? The ball was a foot or two short of the wall.

 

Not only was that a missed, catchable ball....it was a wholly avoidable wall crash. Buxton is too valuable for that. I hope the coaches had a chat with him about playing that better for all sakes.

[ashbury]

Why would the park need to be larger? The ball was a foot or two short of the wall.

Because he was aware of the wall.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Because he was aware of the wall.

 

If he's as aware of the wall as you say that makes yesterday even worse. 

[ScrapTheNickname]

What I think doesn't matter.

[Riverbrian]

I don't want him to stop doing that. 

 

Pad the walls with Marshmellows or something. 

 

On a hot summer day... Let Buxton come out of the wall looking like this with the ball in his glove. 

 

[Platoon]

Smart or stupid? That might be a better question. That play was stupid and foolish and cost a run. The smart play was to play it off the wall. For the game and for is body. He didn't even look at the ball. He definitely needs to smarten up. We need him all year.

Totally concur! In the context of baseball this was stupid! The fact that he didn't catch the ball before he hit the wall is a moot point. While this ball was sort of a straight on run to the fence, some of his other collisions are the result of not rounding off his route on the way back so he runs parallel to the fence. He can be a great player, but as Bud Grant often reminded us you can't be a great player unless you can stay on the field. Buxtons value is greatly enhanced by his speed. That attribute will be the first to go if he tears up a knee senselessly. And this one was senseless.

[Riverbrian]

[glunn]

 

I don't want him to stop doing that. 

 

Pad the walls with Marshmellows or something. 

 

On a hot summer day... Let Buxton come out of the wall looking like this with the ball in his glove. 

 

I agree that better padding would be a worthwhile investment. And I still hold a grudge about Mauer's knee injury from the loose artificial turf at the Metrodome.

[h2oface]

Any status update on this most recent collision's consequences?

[Riverbrian]

 

I agree that better padding would be a worthwhile investment. And I still hold a grudge about Mauer's knee injury from the loose artificial turf at the Metrodome.

 

Pole Vaulting began a long time ago. Europeans used to use poles to cross water filled canals with the goal being distance and not height. 

 

In the late 1800's they started competing for height. They used Bamboo Poles with a sharp point on the end. The competition was held on grass and the pole vaulters landed on grass. The record back in 1896 was 10 feet 2 inches. 

 

As time progressed they improved technique and materials and the record of 10 feet 2 inches started increasing until pole vaulters were falling too far and landing on a hard surface, naturally injuries started to occur. 

 

The injuries would have stopped the sport all together if it wasn't for the... Umm... MAT and as pole vaulters continued to go higher... the mat was replaced by the full scale landing pit because they realized that the mat needed to be improved.  

 

The history of all sports is to go higher and faster than ever before. Telling a baseball player to lay up goes against the history of all sports. Improving the surroundings in the name of safety so the athlete can go higher and faster is how it is supposed to work. 

 

 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

 

Totally concur! In the context of baseball this was stupid! The fact that he didn't catch the ball before he hit the wall is a moot point. 

 

I want to quibble with this a bit.  His comment earlier this year that he judges great catches by how hard he hits the wall makes me wonder on a ball like this one.

 

It was very catchable well apart from the wall.  Did he miss this catch because he wanted/expected to hit the wall?  Because if his primary concern was the catch, there is simply no reason to hit the wall and leave the game.  He could've slowed his stride and comfortably got under this one with plenty of room to spare.

 

Maybe I'm reading too much into his comment.  It gnaws at me as a really poor mindset.  (One I want changed.  He's too valuable for this nonsense)

[glunn]

Looking at the footage, it seems to me that Buxton could have caught the ball if he had slowed down once he hit the warning track. I would also like to see a bigger warning track that would provide more warning time.

 

https://www.mlb.com/video/buxton-leaves-game-in-2nd

[Riverbrian]

 

Looking at the footage, it seems to me that Buxton could have caught the ball if he had slowed down once he hit the warning track. I would also like to see a bigger warning track that would provide more warning time.

 

https://www.mlb.com/video/buxton-leaves-game-in-2nd

 

I've seen Buxton over run balls before. 

 

Not only does he get to the ball. He is so fast that often times he over runs it and has to reach behind him to make the catch. 

 

 

[USAFChief]

 

I've seen Buxton over run balls before. 

 

Not only does he get to the ball. He is so fast that often times he over runs it and has to reach behind him to make the catch. 

But not as fast as Cool Papa Bell, who was so fast when he turned the light out at night, he was in bed before it got dark.*

 

*hat tip to Satchel Paige, who likely owes a hat tip to someone before him.

 

 

[ashbury]

he was in bed before it got dark.

Big deal. At your advanced age, isn't that your usual schedule?