Byron Buxton's Playoff Role Might Be Big Bench Bat

They don't need a pinch hitter to go up and K.........

My guess is that they make room for him on the playoff roster, if for no other reason, than having the threat to throw him up there as a pinch-hitter in a key situation.  I hope they do not DH him full time again as we have been playing much better rotating others through the DH.  He definitely will not be playing any CF this year.

This is exactly his role on a postseason roster. Pinch hit Buxton and pinch run Stevenson if he walks.

This made me laugh "Buxton has shown an ability to return quickly from injuries and immediately impact the line-up" he also quickly returns to the IL.  

I am not baseball genius but they have been playing pretty good if not better with him out of the DH role.  I would not quite say he is a Big Bench Bat but he proves me wrong when they do.

Despite disappointing overall numbers in the first half, Buxton was around league average in OPS and had some big moments.

Without him in the second half, the offense has been better without him. Now, I'm NOT saying the Twins are better WITHOUT Byron. Nor am I saying his being out has been a single cause and affect for a better offense. I mean, a resurgence of Kepler has been pretty big. But PART of the reason Wallner, Julien, Lewis, and Kirilloff received their opportunities to contribute was by freeing up the DH spot. Polanco missing time also contributed. 

It pains me to say it, but the Twins haven't missed Buxton too much. And I seriously doubt he plays any CF this season, unless it's one game and then he's just done after that. It would seem his only fit would be as a PH/DH. The problem with PH is then having to be replaced in the field, which becomes a 2 for 1 swap out.

Don't get me wrong, he might produce a couple key hits in those spots. But it's still a limited role when considering the roster construction. 

this headline was exactly the comedy i needed today.

I think the most important thing is that whether he is on the playoff roster or not, Buck just needs to be present with the team. He is a leader - he wants to be a leader. I think with his veteran status now, he will know how to excel in his role no matter what it is - even if it is a "hype man" in the dugout giving high fives and creating new handshakes with anyone and everyone. I can almost guarantee he misses the team and will do whatever he can to play any sort of role and be back with them. 

I like the idea of him back as a bench bat. But don't really like him hitting, then being subbed for again right away. 

I think they will bring him almost no matter what. This is just my opinion. 

Do they need him? Not really, but could he come up with a huge hit sometime. For sure. 

It is hard for a team to not play their big ticket guys, but from a fans standpoint contracts really do not matter.  Production does.  Unless Buxton finds one of those short explosive streaks with the bat he is more liability than asset.  

I like what we have now if Lewis can come back and Correa can regain some comfort.

No way do we need Buxton. We are a much better team without him. He can not play in field and we do not need him to strike out.

1 hour ago, Logi_Clevs said:

I think the most important thing is that whether he is on the playoff roster or not, Buck just needs to be present with the team. He is a leader - he wants to be a leader. I think with his veteran status now, he will know how to excel in his role no matter what it is - even if it is a "hype man" in the dugout giving high fives and creating new handshakes with anyone and everyone. I can almost guarantee he misses the team and will do whatever he can to play any sort of role and be back with them. 

Since when has Buxton become a leader.  He hurt team play for most of the season. He can not play in field and can not hit.  A leader would have taken some time off sooner to get his health better so he could help Twins win games.

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

This is exactly his role on a postseason roster. Pinch hit Buxton and pinch run Stevenson if he walks.

When Buxton strikes out we can not pinch run for him. He just doesn't get walks since he swings at almost every pitch.

3 minutes ago, John Belinski said:

Since when has Buxton become a leader.  He hurt team play for most of the season. He can not play in field and can not hit.  A leader would have taken some time off sooner to get his health better so he could help Twins win games.

I disagree. Leaders generally tell themselves "I'll be okay, let me play through this for my team." Leaders aren't always the team's best player and the team's best player isn't always their leader. They are the clubhouse presence that everyone looks and turns to, which I think Buxton was and still is. 

The title of this article should be nominated for the preposterous statement tournament.  "Big bench bat."  lol

Another big factor is he cannot run without hurting

In other years, the team record was often much better _with_ Buxton than without him.  It was a remarkable witness to the kind of player he can be.  
 

I suspect the opposite is true in 2023.  The medical plan just wasn’t able to get him back on track this year. 

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Which Buxton would you be getting back in the playoffs? Superstar, top 10 talent on the planet Buxton? Or K machine Buxton? That should be the deciding factor, but the problem is you really don't have time to figure that out unless he's back very, very soon, and I don't think that's happening.

The Twins are better off without bad Buxton in the lineup, but significantly better with great Buxton in the lineup. He can be great Buxton for short stints, and carry the team. People like to think there's some magic formula for winning in the postseason, but the magic formula is just being the team with the most guys that get hot for a month with extra off days. Hot Buxton is a series winning player. Cold Buxton is a series losing player. I just don't think they can give him any real playoff run if he's not back in the regular season and showing he's great Buxton. 

It's a really tough decision for rostering him if he's healthy. The real options are that he's a starter or non-roster player. I don't know that a bench role is a good option for him. If he's bad Buxton he's not one of your top 14-15 bats. If he's good Buxton he's your best bat. So, in my opinion, you're either starting him or just leave him off the roster.

Completely agree. Its very unfortunate that there is such a stark difference between hot and cold Buxton. 

My heart wants to believe.

My head says no, he hasn't been healthy or very productive all year.

It's the playoffs.  Listen to your head.

To me it’s pretty simple…

If he can play in the field, you roster him. If he can’t, you don’t.

He’s not a DH…and you can’t afford to bring a guy that can only PH. Meanwhile, he has a career OPS of 631 as a substitute, and 455 as a pinch hitter. So, it’s not like he has a track record of being good in those roles, either.

1 hour ago, jkcarew said:

He’s not a DH…and you can’t afford to bring a guy that can only PH. Meanwhile, he has a career OPS of 631 as a substitute, and 455 as a pinch hitter. So, it’s not like he has a track record of being good in those roles, either.

I completely agree. He's hitting ,207 this year with a ,294 OBP, with plenty of chances at 304 AB. That's our big bat off the bench?

His playoff record against the Astros in 2020 wasn't inspirational, either. Three K's in the first game, and put in as a pinch runner in the 8th inning of the game 2 loss, he got picked off.  Frankly, he looked lost. Maybe he'll rebound from that, but I'm not seeing him as the guy who rises to the occasion yet.

4 starters and flip a starter for a lefty (say Headrick or, if still with the team, KeauchelThe Twins need their absolute BEST 26 players. They have some wiggle room....go with 3 or 4 starters and replace one with a lefty, perhaps, like Headrick or Keuchel.

Buxton prevents the Twins from using the DH for an already over-abundance of players not having a place to play. Plus they have to eliminate two players from the current roster.

Bad enough that 60-day IL guys like Brock Stewart, Nick Gordon, Chris Paddack and maybe Jorge Alcala. One has been removed. Are Floro and Stevenson (and even Keuchel) up for the waiver wire? Not to mention getting Gallo back onto the team.

Again, BEST 26, as they match up against your opponents. You can add arms and switch out bats from series-to-series, right?

28 minutes ago, SkyBlueWaters said:

I completely agree. He's hitting ,207 this year with a ,294 OBP, with plenty of chances at 304 AB. That's our big bat off the bench?

Yeah…the bench role seems like a big mistake, IMO. If he’s getting one PA a game in a big spot, I just see him flailing and chasing even more than normal, trying to do too much…not to mention how it constricts flexibility with the roster.

I don’t think it would be the end of the world to DH him and have him, like 6th,7th,8th in the order behind someone like Wallner or Jeffers (or Kirilloff?) because I do think pitchers will consider Buxton a power threat ALMOST no matter how he’s swinging it, and the guy in front of him might see better pitches than otherwise. That’s where he would belong in the BO, regardless of DH or CF roles. Still don’t think it would be the best move, though…unless he can play CF.

30 minutes ago, Rosterman said:

Again, BEST 26, as they match up against your opponents. You can add arms and switch out bats from series-to-series, right?

Yes. And as Riverbrian points out above, Buxton can ‘rehab’ with the Twins at some point over the last 9 games (doesn’t need to be St Paul since the games don’t matter) to prove/disprove readiness for a role in the opening series.

You can even replace an injured player during a series (pending commissioner approval).