What to do with Buxton.....

[Mike Sixel]

Byron is not playing well. I think everyone knows that. They clearly aren't putting him in CF any time soon......

So, now what? 

Options:

Sit him against rhp, and put Julien at DH (I don't see this team sitting any vets)

IL stint until he can play the field (I don't see the team doing this either)

Move him down in the order but keep playing him (the most likely on the list)

Reach an injury settlement (no chance)

Other ideas?

I think they might move him down the order, but let's be real, they haven't done that yet. No idea why we think the FO and Rocco will make that change now.

[Vanimal46]

Bench him and play Julien at DH. It’s time to show some urgency and play the hot bat. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

I think you're right Mike on what the Twins will do. If the question was what the Twins should do the answer to me is pretty straightforward once we know one thing we don't know -  Buxton's actual physical condition. If  his physical condition is such that he could be put on the 10 day IL, followed by a rehab stint in AAA, to me that's the obvious choice. Gives him a chance to get healthy or at least healthier, opens up some at bats for people like Wallner, Polanco and Julien once Polanco comes back, and probably gives us the best chance of having Buxton available and productive for the last six week of the season (and hopefully the playoffs).  If he is not "injured" enough to go on the IL then I think you have to move him down in the order to at least the 5 or 6 hole until he starts hitting. Frankly, I would say the seven hole, although that is going to mean that against left-handed starters we are going to have to play some of our left-handed hitters. I think we should be doing that anyway, particularly Kirilloff and Julien. We will never find out if they can adapt to hitting left-handed pitching at the MLB level until they get a chance to do so.

One thing is very obvious, the Buxton as the permanent DH experiment is just not working and now we have enough data to suggest it's not going to work. I don't know whether that's because he's hurt or because he can't hit as well when he's not playing in the field. There are a lot of guys you just couldn't adapt to the DH slot and were much more productive when they played in the field, however badly. To me that opens the third possibility - play Buxton in left field. Again, opens up the DH spot and should be less of a strain on his legs and playing centerfield. Doesn't really solve the problem because someone's got to play center but it might help Buxton which I think is or at least should be the primary goal. 

 

[RpR]

What ever is wrong probably cannot withstand the sudden change of direction and sudden stops fielding needs; been there done that in the work world.

He said he hates DH because it throws his timing off and that has been proven this year; must be some thing in the contract that keeps him playing or maybe FO sympathy for him.

 

 

[MMMordabito]

Let him break Chris Davis' 58-PA record, so the Twins can get some more publicity.  He should bat leadoff, so that it happens as quickly as possible.

[CRF]

They obviously haven't done anything with/to him so far, and I don't think they will at this point. He's going to keep hitting 3rd or 4th, and he'll stay in the lineup. At least until he injures himself even more than he apparently already is. Never thought I'd want Sano back, but it's a wash right now. Buxton is really hurting this team. 

[BiggestRoccoFan]

Put him in the field or put him on the bench.

Clearly not playing in the field has impacted his bat.

Right now he is too much of a liability.

At this point put in someone who can at least make contact with the ball.

 

[Tibs]

Are any of his peripherals remotely encouraging? If not, then IL stint makes the most sense on the surface. We're told he's too injured to play the field. If he's that injured it's not a stretch to believe it is now impacting his performance with the bat. He's been downright awful for a while now and that's putting it nicely. There are easy replacements on the roster to improve DH and the lineup.

The problem is we don't know exactly what the injury is. From what we've been told, it's some kind of chronic issue/lingering from last year/potentially needs another procedure done. If that is the case, then Buck going to the IL doesn't mean he's going to get healthier this season. If a procedure is needed maybe it's time to start considering doing that now.

One thing is clear, putting him at DH every day batting 3rd/4th is hurting the team and it has been since the end of April.

[mnfireman]

TD is not the only fan site asking this question:

https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/twins/calls-for-twins-action-on-byron-buxton-after-another-disastrous-night-at-the-plate

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-twins-byron-buxton-slump/

https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/twins-byron-buxton-getting-day-off-tuesday/

https://www.startribune.com/byron-buxton-is-in-a-1-for-31-slump-is-it-time-for-do-something-yet/600290419/

https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/07/18/byron-buxton-struggling-minnesota-twins

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/the-hot-and-cold-of-byron-buxton-and-how-it-impacts-the-twins/ar-AA1dVSE5

[harmlessharmon]

One issue Buxton has is he's NOT focusing during his AB's.  It's like he's posing for the camera instead of thinking about who he's facing, what pitches are most likely coming at certain counts, etc, that takes concentration.  Buxton is constantly staring off into the stands like he's posing for a GQ ad.  Hot hitters like Kirilloff and Julien concentrate, stay within themselves, you can see it.  I watched the Wimbledon finals and I didn't see any players looking up staring off into the stands before they serve.  Also, Buxton doesn't watch the ball all the way to the bat, he guesses at pitches.

[jun]

I am sure plate appearance is what gets Buxton the money he wants. He's going to continue to be the DH batting top of the order so that he could get the maximum money.

[Dave Borton]

Not to worry. Solved for this evening: https://www.mlb.com/gameday/twins-vs-mariners/2023/07/18/717350/preview

IL until he is capable to playing the game. I believe he has permanent knee damage and we have seen the last of him in the field. 10 months since surgery.

[twins_89]

The solution seems straight forward, the team has said Buxton isn't healthy enough to play CF so that means he should easily qualify for the IL.

[SoDakTwinsFan]

The question should be "What to do with management that keeps batting him third..."

Buxton is going to be a Twin for the foreseeable future.  Can't trade him because he has no trade value.  It's on Buxton that he looks like a Division II baseball player at the plate right now.  It's on Twins FO and Rocco for not doing a thing about it.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, SoDakTwinsFan said:

The question should be "What to do with management that keeps batting him third..."

Buxton is going to be a Twin for the foreseeable future.  Can't trade him because he has no trade value.  It's on Buxton that he looks like a Division II baseball player at the plate right now.  It's on Twins FO and Rocco for not doing a thing about it.

I literally asked what they should do about it....what should they do about it?

[Nine of twelve]

Sometimes a slump is just a slump, even when it's a severe one. If the team's medical staff felt that rest would improve his physical fitness then he would have been placed on the IL weeks ago. I think this one is up to the team's coaches and manager (and Buxton himself) to solve. But in the meantime we just can't have a batter slumping this badly in the lineup every night, especially in the heart of the batting order.

[Irishman]

Put Buxton in CF twice a week.      Playing CF may help him more intensely and focus better on each AB.   

[Brock Beauchamp]

I hate to say it but I start benching him against most righties until something changes.

[gunnarthor]

So I haven't been able to watch many games this year - only three. But the last two I watched it seemed pretty clear that his knees were bothering him and were affecting his at-bats. He's slow on fastballs and his mechanics look completely wrong, probably because he's hurt. They should put him on the IL and get him healthy - even if that means missing the rest of the year.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, gunnarthor said:

So I haven't been able to watch many games this year - only three. But the last two I watched it seemed pretty clear that his knees were bothering him and were affecting his at-bats. He's slow on fastballs and his mechanics look completely wrong, probably because he's hurt. They should put him on the IL and get him healthy - even if that means missing the rest of the year.

This is my preference....but I don't see them doing it.

[wabene]

Well after tossing Wallner in a tough spot last night for his first plate appearance this time around, at least they are doing what I hoped for. What I didn't think would happen. Wallner at DH, Bux on the bench. Here's hoping Wallner freaking crushes it and puts the management team in a not so comfy spot. Then we get to watch how they respond this time. All you need to do Matt is go 9 for 9 this time, lol 

[KirbyDome89]

6 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I think they might move him down the order, but let's be real, they haven't done that yet. No idea why we think the FO and Rocco will make that change now.

This. I'll believe it when I see it. This FO has been incredibly comfortable running out non-performers with regularity. If they're cool with letting Gallo flail away for months and be awful Idk why we'd expect Buxton's leash to be shorter. Here's to hoping we're pleasantly surprised I guess...

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

This. I'll believe it when I see it. This FO has been incredibly comfortable running out non-performers with regularity. If they're cool with letting Gallo flail away for months and be awful Idk why we'd expect Buxton's leash to be shorter. Here's to hoping we're pleasantly surprised I guess...

The thing is that Gallo hasn't been that bad. He has an OPS just under .800. The lowest his OPS has dropped all season is .749.

People need to stop including Gallo in these conversations. Yeah, he's a frustrating player to watch but he hasn't been unplayable the way Kepler and Buxton have been.

[KirbyDome89]

Just now, Brock Beauchamp said:

The thing is that Gallo hasn't been that bad. He has an OPS just under .800. The lowest his OPS has dropped all season is .749.

People need to stop including Gallo in these conversations. Yeah, he's a frustrating player to watch but he hasn't been unplayable the way Kepler and Buxton have been.

That OPS is entirely HR driven, and still heavily inflated by April numbers. I've called it empty in other threads. Since May his OPS is under .700 with a 43% K rate to boot. The average is abysmal, and his OBP is below average. He's an offensive black hole a vast majority of the time. He only provides value when he's clustering HRs, and that happens far too infrequently. I absolutely have watched Gallo's ABs during this stretch and thought the guy was unplayable, but YMMV. 

 

[USAFChief]

49 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

That OPS is entirely HR driven, and still heavily inflated by April numbers. I've called it empty in other threads. Since May his OPS is under .700 with a 43% K rate to boot. The average is abysmal, and his OBP is below average. He's an offensive black hole a vast majority of the time. He only provides value when he's clustering HRs, and that happens far too infrequently. I absolutely have watched Gallo's ABs during this stretch and thought the guy was unplayable, but YMMV. 

 

Concur.

He's absolutely part of the offensive problem.

[SwainZag]

1 hour ago, KirbyDome89 said:

That OPS is entirely HR driven, and still heavily inflated by April numbers. I've called it empty in other threads. Since May his OPS is under .700 with a 43% K rate to boot. The average is abysmal, and his OBP is below average. He's an offensive black hole a vast majority of the time. He only provides value when he's clustering HRs, and that happens far too infrequently. I absolutely have watched Gallo's ABs during this stretch and thought the guy was unplayable, but YMMV. 

 

You can use SSS all you want.  In his last 16 games which dates back to June 26 his line is : .216/.341/.649 with an OPS of .990 in 44 PA.  He is K'ing at 45% in that time stretch though.   It's certainly fueled by 5 HR in that span, but it's hardly unplayable.  

[ashbury]

Just now, SwainZag said:

You can use SSS all you want.  In his last 16 games which dates back to June 26 his line is : .216/.341/.649 with an OPS of .990 in 44 PA.  He is K'ing at 45% in that time stretch though.   It's certainly fueled by 5 HR in that span, but it's hardly unplayable.  

Can someone please take a look at Christian Vazquez's numbers next?

[USAFChief]

25 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

You can use SSS all you want.  In his last 16 games which dates back to June 26 his line is : .216/.341/.649 with an OPS of .990 in 44 PA.  He is K'ing at 45% in that time stretch though.   It's certainly fueled by 5 HR in that span, but it's hardly unplayable.  

31 RBI.

If he doesn't hit a HR, he doesn't contribute much. And there's a whole lot of PAs where he doesn't hit a HR.

People will pooh-pooh RBI, but at the end of the day, runs are what win games, not OPS.

Gallo's an example of what an empty OPS looks like .

[mnfireman]

2 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

So I haven't been able to watch many games this year - only three. But the last two I watched it seemed pretty clear that his knees were bothering him and were affecting his at-bats. He's slow on fastballs and his mechanics look completely wrong, probably because he's hurt. They should put him on the IL and get him healthy - even if that means missing the rest of the year.

Last nights announcers on FS1 said hip and back injuries, no mention of knee problems.

[ashbury]

I assume "ask Buxton himself what he'd like to do" has been tried.

If rest would help it likely would have been tried.

Bench him often enough until a repeat of the above steps bears some kind of fruit.  Or until, you know, he starts hitting productively when he gets the chance.