Byron Buxton Working Behind the Scenes for Center Field Return

Catch 22

At this point it should either be CF or IL. A minimum 10-day stint on the IL certainly won’t hurt, and we won’t be missing out on much offensive production while he’s gone. The resounding quote at the beginning of the season was “we’re a better team when he’s in the lineup,” and the data backed that up. I’m not sure that’s true anymore:

Sick of all the Byron Buxton talk.  This is now an 8 year story.  It's Neverending.  I understand people want him to play center field.  I understand the theory that his hitting will improve as he will be more engaged in the game.  I hope they are right.  But I just don't see it. .perhaps the first few games he may hit great while playing center field due to an emotional spark.  But it will probably just go back to normal batting.  This fascination with Buxton and great he is or could be is 8 years of overhyped.  He is what he is.  An oft injured, seldom contributer, to a flailing mediocre team just meandering through the baseball season.  Tye team has the easiest remaining schedule in all of MLB.  They should walk away with the division Buxton or not.  If they don't, heads should roll.

20 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Catch 22

At this point, better option than the status quo.😒

1 hour ago, wabene said:

Who is the funny looking kid on the front?

It sounds like his knee is not going to get better so what to do?  Constantly putting on the IL doesn't work and he is really taking a key position in the line-up given his production.

IMO they are at the point where they need to put him back in CF one more time and if can't do it, it  is time for him to retire.  He is the face of the franchise but he will end up being a big disappointment if this continues.  

This is worse than the Joe Mauer story.

I think if Buck starts playing CF it will also be a morale booster for the team. It would be awesome if he can play CF and it leads the team to a good second half and division crown. The post season is a crap shoot.

It looks like it is a chronic problem, so a 10 day IL would be of no to little help. I would not surprise me if there is another medical intervention at the end of the season. In the meantime, they will try to make him play what he can play. Of course I wish he could, but beyond all the talk, I don't think he can ple CF this year, and who knows if he ever can come back to play there.

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

Sick of all the Byron Buxton talk.  This is now an 8 year story.  It's Neverending.  I understand people want him to play center field.  I understand the theory that his hitting will improve as he will be more engaged in the game.  I hope they are right.  But I just don't see it. .perhaps the first few games he may hit great while playing center field due to an emotional spark.  But it will probably just go back to normal batting.  This fascination with Buxton and great he is or could be is 8 years of overhyped.  He is what he is.  An oft injured, seldom contributer, to a flailing mediocre team just meandering through the baseball season.  Tye team has the easiest remaining schedule in all of MLB.  They should walk away with the division Buxton or not.  If they don't, heads should roll.

Would putting Buxton in a corner outfield slot, say swapping him and Kepler, have value? It would get him the field, but perhaps with less ground to cover.

1 hour ago, AceWrigley said:

Who is the funny looking kid on the front?

That's Harry

1 hour ago, Whitey333 said:

Sick of all the Byron Buxton talk.  This is now an 8 year story.  It's Neverending.  I understand people want him to play center field.  I understand the theory that his hitting will improve as he will be more engaged in the game.  I hope they are right.  But I just don't see it. .perhaps the first few games he may hit great while playing center field due to an emotional spark.  But it will probably just go back to normal batting.  This fascination with Buxton and great he is or could be is 8 years of overhyped.  He is what he is.  An oft injured, seldom contributer, to a flailing mediocre team just meandering through the baseball season.  Tye team has the easiest remaining schedule in all of MLB.  They should walk away with the division Buxton or not.  If they don't, heads should roll.

Agreed. And Rocco, Falvey and Levine can take Buxton with them to their next job. $100mm, "team friendly" deal for a guy who can't play defense and has never amounted to his "potential" as a hitter. Stop waiting and move on. He is putting up numbers Sano did! In his last full season (2021), Sano batted .223 with 30HRS. And Sano played in 135 games that year! Buxton, last season, was .224 with 28HRS. And he could only manage 92 games. It is worse having him only DH; .208 with 15HRS. Bad business deal.

16 minutes ago, Kipp35 said:

Agreed. And Rocco, Falvey and Levine can take Buxton with them to their next job. $100mm, "team friendly" deal for a guy who can't play defense and has never amounted to his "potential" as a hitter. Stop waiting and move on. He is putting up numbers Sano did! In his last full season (2021), Sano batted .223 with 30HRS. And Sano played in 135 games that year! Buxton, last season, was .224 with 28HRS. And he could only manage 92 games. It is worse having him only DH; .208 with 15HRS. Bad business deal.

Only 5 more seasons to go on that deal.  And it kinda looks like it's turning into a real albatross too.  I'd take Jason Heyward and Eddie Rosario in the outfield any day of the week instead of Kepler and Gallo.  

The other thing in this situation that is puzzling to me is the apparent deference to Kepler indicating he does not want to play CF.  He can do so, not at a Buxton level, but if Kepler shifts to CF vs. RH starters this opens up lots more lineup optons for Rocco.

Does a mediocre hitter on the last year of his guaranteed contract get to tell the Coach where he will and wont play?

And I like Kepler as a person based on his interviews, but he would certainly help out the team if he would play in CF....

Easy to get frustrated over these players making nice money to play baseball and not pushing through and performing well while injured.  I can't even imagine performing against the best pitchers and other players in the world being physically 100%, yet alone dealing with back and knee injuries. Despite those limitations Buxton is still the best option we have at DH, as pointed out in prior comments.  My hope is that the Twins can stay in postseason contention (disappointing if they don't) with him at DH and his health improves or stabilizes enough that he can gut it out in CF for a few games down the stretch and during potential playoff games. Reevaluate the knee and back in the offseason to try and get back to more regular CF work in 2024. I doubt anyone in the organization or Buxton's camp is to the point of saying he's a DH-only for the rest of his career.

4 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Buxton isn't close to the best DH option in the team. I'm baffled anyone can say that. 

"isn't close" implying multiple better options....and they would be? 

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

Julien and it isn't close. 

I don't think it is a question of who's the best hitter.  Whole lineup construction problem.  I agree that Julien is better at the plate than Buxton (right now), but Julien is a regular in the field these days.  So Julien to DH and who do you back fill at 2B that is better than Buxton at DH and Julien at 2B?