Byron Buxton is the best center fielder on the planet

[cHawk]

[Wyotwinsfan]

You are so right and he makes it look easy. 

[Schmoeman5]

He can't be the greatest CF on the planet. If he'd have run back to the infield and tagged both runners out for an unassisted triple play, then I'd concur. 

[ashbury]

Buxton to White Sox:

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, Wyotwinsfan said:

You are so right and he makes it look easy. 

It's rare to see him take a bad route.  Linear from the time the bat makes contact.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

He clearly had the whole way, I didn’t see it live, but it looked like the third base coach didn’t have any idea what was happening either.

he had the stoplight on as the throw came in and wasn’t waiving the runner on third back to second.

it was an awesome graceful play by Buck, but wow what terrible base running by Chicago

[Trov]

My guess the runners saw Roberts play the two Arraez doubles and where like our guy would not catch it so no way Buck does and just took off.  What makes Buck so good is not just his speed, which is tops in the league, but he gets some of the best jumps on balls and takes amazing routes.  Then is arm is elite too.  

[Number3]

He is even better when he is in the lineup. I hope he plays the whole 'Sox series because the Twins have lost 3 straight Central series.

[Brock Beauchamp]

7 hours ago, ashbury said:

It's rare to see him take a bad route.  Linear from the time the bat makes contact.

Yeah, and when coupled with that absurd speed, he's the best defensive centerfielder I've ever seen. He takes laserbeam routes while also being (formerly anyway) the fastest guy in baseball.

And we tend to ignore his arm because his other traits are so spectacular. That's above average as well. I vaguely remember reading he can hit mid-90s with a throw.

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 hour ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

it was an awesome graceful play by Buck, but wow what terrible base running by Chicago

Yeah, there was no excuse to do that with no outs. That's a team so desperate to turn things around that they make even bigger mistakes and likely cost themselves a win right there. Jax wasn't exactly throwing peas that inning.

[USAFChief]

Planet? Call me a homer, but I'd argue best in entire universe.

[wsnydes]

9 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

He can't be the greatest CF on the planet. If he'd have run back to the infield and tagged both runners out for an unassisted triple play, then I'd concur. 

So, Bugs Bunny is the greatest CF on the planet?  And also simultaneously the greatest C, P, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF and RF?

I can't argue with that.  I think you're onto something!

[cHawk]

24 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Planet? Call me a homer, but I'd argue best in entire universe.

IDK about that, there are probably some damn good center fielders on the moon. They can probably jump pretty high.

[ashbury]

33 minutes ago, cHawk said:

IDK about that, there are probably some damn good center fielders on the moon. They can probably jump pretty high.

That is why Park Factors were invented.

You also have to take into account the strength-sapping effects of some of those road trips, though.

[wsnydes]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

Planet? Call me a homer, but I'd argue best in entire universe.

Homer!

[RpR]

38 minutes ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Wonderful run down and catch by Buck and a BIG play at the PERFECT time.  What I question is... was he purposely throwing to Urshela for the triple play or was he off on his throw to second base?  If it is the latter, then he was somewhat lucky in how it turned out and I give additional credit to Urshela.

Are you serious?

[IndianaTwin]

4 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Planet? Call me a homer, but I'd argue best in entire universe.

[ashbury]

12 minutes ago, RpR said:

Are you serious?

The play's to second base on that.  (And then on to first.)  Looks like a bit of an overthrow, but Urshela was there to back it up and finish the play.

[IndianaTwin]

54 minutes ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Wonderful run down and catch by Buck and a BIG play at the PERFECT time.  What I question is... was he purposely throwing to Urshela for the triple play or was he off on his throw to second base?  If it is the latter, then he was somewhat lucky in how it turned out and I give additional credit to Urshela.

I think he was mainly just trying to get it back to the infield as quickly as possible.

But yes, Urshela made a good play in going to the ball rather than letting it come to him. 

 

[RpR]

It went within a few feet of exactly where he wanted it to go.

 

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

It went within a few feet of exactly where he wanted it to go.

The infielders seemed taken by surprise and were scrambling around a bit.  The PBP announcer on the video linked at the top immediately called it an overthrow.

[RpR]

38 minutes ago, ashbury said:

The infielders seemed taken by surprise and were scrambling around a bit.  The PBP announcer on the video linked at the top immediately called it an overthrow.

Look at the video, there was no one any where near 2nd base, if any thing it was an under throw.

Had he thrown to second it would have been a single out at best. he was  trying to throw to third base.

[Schmoeman5]

2 hours ago, RpR said:

Look at the video, there was no one any where near 2nd base, if any thing it was an under throw.

Had he thrown to second it would have been a single out at best. he was  trying to throw to third base.

Buxton is the only one who played that right. He was throwing to 2nd base but no one was home (Correa) Polanco I believe was out in right center as the cut off man. If that throw is to 3rd it was 75' short. It's totally irrelevant anyhow because the baserunners were so far past the point of no return. 

[Game7-91]

4 hours ago, RpR said:

It went within a few feet of exactly where he wanted it to go.

 

Much like Gandalf, who is never late, but arrives precisely when he means to..........

[ashbury]

I just learned something. Outfielders try to hit the base, not the cutoff.

[wsnydes]

3 hours ago, RpR said:

Look at the video, there was no one any where near 2nd base, if any thing it was an under throw.

Had he thrown to second it would have been a single out at best. he was  trying to throw to third base.

Just because a fielder isn't at 2B to field a throw doesn't mean that's not where the throw was going.  Was it on line?  No.  It wasn't in line to 3B either.

[wsnydes]

58 minutes ago, Schmoeman5 said:

Buxton is the only one who played that right. He was throwing to 2nd base but no one was home (Correa) Polanco I believe was out in right center as the cut off man. If that throw is to 3rd it was 75' short. It's totally irrelevant anyhow because the baserunners were so far past the point of no return. 

I'd say Urshela played it correctly too since he was backing up the throw, but that's mostly because nobody else appears to be where they should have been that it played out as it did.

[Schmoeman5]

8 hours ago, RpR said:

It went within a few feet of exactly where he wanted it to go.

 

What the hell does that mean? That's like saying nothing. If anyone throws a ball anywhere, and it's a few feet from exactly where he wanted it to go it'll add up to a whole bunch of errors. That's crazy talk.

[RpR]

1 hour ago, Schmoeman5 said:

What the hell does that mean? That's like saying nothing. If anyone throws a ball anywhere, and it's a few feet from exactly where he wanted it to go it'll add up to a whole bunch of errors. That's crazy talk.

?

[Schmoeman5]

6 hours ago, ashbury said:

I just learned something. Outfielders try to hit the base, not the cutoff.

 

2 hours ago, RpR said:

?

OK Mr no it all. 1st off Polanco is in RC with his back to the play. Mass confusion.  Buxton doesn't miss the cutoff.. He throws the ball to 2nd base where Correa should be but instead is fielded by urshela between 2nd and 3rd. He tags the trail runner for out number 2, then runs to and steps on 2nd base for the 3rd out. Even after that Polanco and Correa are pointing to 1st base for Urshela to throw to, even tho he doesn't need to. Buxtons throw was slightly off line but if he WAS throwing it to 3rd as you say, the question is why. Why would he attempt the longer throw. He surely couldn't see where 1 or both runners were. And even after all that, watch Buxtons reaction. He still isn't sure of what just happened