How Long Will the Twins Leave Byron Buxton at Full-Time DH?

2 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Do we agree that HIPPA laws prohibit employers from giving out any health information about the players? 

I was curious about this too.  Turns out, because MLB contracts require players to disclose medical info to the team, this is considered the employee's authorization to do so.  Once this authorization is given, HIPAA no longer applies because MLB teams are not covered employers (like health care providers) under the law.

So, I think we can retire "teams can't be transparent with fans due to HIPAA" as a meaningful talking point here.  

To answer the question of how soon can Twins fan's expect Buxton to be in CF this year. I think the answer is never. If Buxton has days off while only DHing. How can you hope to see him in CF. And I don't believe weather is a factor at all. That's just common sense to me. If roaming CF is too much strain on whatever issues he's having physically,  then the best scenario for Buxton is however many games they can get from him out of DHing only.

ins had a $50m bench yesterday. It is fruistrating when they pretty much throwaway a game by going heavy with the real bench guys. And only 10 days into the season.

Plus, you want to beat the teams in your own division to win your division. If you can beat your divisional opponents, you have a good chance of taking the division, as the chances of them faring better against other teams are a pretty 50/50 mix.

When will Buxton actually get to practice in the outfield? How much did he do in spring training. Seems Gallo was getting used to first base and was put in the outfield and twisted the wrong way. Correa is being paid an enormous amount of money to play and has no concerns about financial secuirty or getting a better deal next season.

Yes, I'm all for giving a guy a day off now and then. Which is why you have a solid bench. But, c'mon...and at home, too. People pay to see Buxton. They pay to seee Correa. Theya ren't paying to see Farmer and Gordon and Castro and Taylor.

3 minutes ago, SwainZag said:

I had no idea we had so many medical specialists on the boards here.  I am amazed how many of you think the Twins are purposely not playing their best players, hiding crucial injury information and well knowing they are upsetting fans to play a brand of baseball that no one likes.  

If anyone watched Bryon leg out that triple last week you could obviously see he was huffing and puffing a bit which tells me he is not in peak cardio Byron Buxton shape.  I am sure that all stems from trying to work him back from off season surgery and not over extend him to try and prevent future injuries and hopefully get a full season in....or as close to a full season as we have from Byron.  I as much as everyone wants to see him on the field more, but man.....

Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard.

2 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Like any business, I'd argue the Twins owe the fans, to whom they are selling a product, honesty and transparency about the product they are selling.  This goes without saying in every other business in the world - would anyone argue that say Best Buy doesn't owe product information to their customers?  "Hey, if you want a tv, you'll have to buy it to find out what kind."   No one is asking for player charts, so you've successfully knocked down the HIPAA strawman you constructed :)  And you are stating your opinion as though it is fact.  You're entitled to your opinion, but it's pretty poor form to christen your opinion as the one true fact and angrily shut down debate.  

While not quoting HIPAA as fact, I was also not using it correctly.  I will give the mea culpa on this part.  This article gives a better description of HIPAA with regards to professional athletes:
https://healthlawpulse.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/hipaa-and-pro-sports-lets-get-the-record-straight/

Regarding the product on the field, using your analogy, Best Buy only provides information they are legally bound to provide and information which they believe will help sell their products.  They are not going to provide their marketing plan, their wholesale cost, or any other thousands of items which may give them an edge over their competitors.

The Twins balance what they want the public to know with what is actually happening.  Very rarely do they match up 100%.  Every other sports team in the nation does this.  Every business does this.  I don't understand how anybody thinks a professional sports team, one that relies on athletic and strategic advantages, should be totally transparent.

At this point, you just have to hope for a Paul Molitor run. Injury prone in his 20's and productive in his 30's. Unfortunately, like Molitor, that means he need to be primarily a DH.

10 hours ago, MABB1959 said:

SO FRUSTRATING!!!   How can it be justified?  So what he stays healthy for the end of the season?  While opportunities are lost at the beginning?  

Kind of a waste of the DH role?  He was supposed to be paid for his CF and speed.  He is a decent hitter but it seems now he can't steal?  Needing an extra day off every week?

If I could only do 1/3 of my job and needed an extra day off, I probably wouldn't have my job long.

 

If you could do a third of Buxton's job our problems would be solved.  You can't.

I feel like the Twins should bring in Ichiro to work with Buxton on gaining flexibility so he might be a bit less injury-prone.  And maybe some stuntmen from the movies to help him improve his landings, rolls, and slides so he is a little less awkward on impact.

As for the plan to keep DHing him for another month until his knee is back to normal, I’m fine with it.  The season is long.  As Billy Beane said (paraphrasing), you spend two months seeing what you have and what you need, two months getting what you need, and two months playing with the team you wanted.  This season seems like it can fit that blueprint pretty well, Buxton included.  (Although most of the “getting what you need” may entail getting the Polancos, Kiriloffs, Lewis, Juliens…and Buxtons on the field.)

I haven't been a fan of treating Buxton like he's a porcelain doll from the get go.  If it was up to me I'd forbid him from head first slides because he's terrible at them.  That's how he hurt the knee last year.  Resting him as a DH is laughable.  Not allowing him to play ONE INNING of defense in CF was highly questionable.  

17 hours ago, SwainZag said:

I am amazed how many of you think the Twins are purposely not playing their best players, 

 

This is my point though, they ARE purposely not playing their best players!  Ask the Twins and I'm sure they would tell you the same.  You can't call a "scheduled off day" anything other than "purposely not playing their best players".  If you think load management is helpful and supported by evidence, fine, make that argument, but I really don't understand the reflex to defend the FO by saying "actually the sky is pink and I'm amazed anyone thinks it's blue".   

I've been somewhat of a critic of WAR. But in this case, WAR seems an appropriate way of looking at Buxton's value...

At current rate (has about the same OPS he posted in 2022), if Buxton were to play all year at DH, his bWAR would come in around 3.5 for the season. That's LESS THAN what he posted in each of the last two seasons when he played about half the season (or less)...but primarily played CF.

They're darned if they do, and darned if they don't. And I don't think we can assume that DH'ing will have a huge favorable impact on how many games he can play. Should help in theory. And then we witness yesterday's baserunning debacle.