Michael A. Taylor's Impact in 2023 Highlights Centerfield Need for Twins

With the uncertainty of Buxton playing the field  , it is necessary to get it right ...

They did have an ace in the hole with Taylor as his defense was very good ...

I think it is necessary to resign him for his defense to fill centerfield because of the unknown of Buxton  , if Buxton can play then Taylor can be a defensive replacement late in the game  ...

He made some spectacular plays in centerfield  and was fun to watch ...

Defense  is very important  , the 2 playoffs ( alcs and nlcs ) had some of the best defense I have seen this year , the 2 games in world series has also had good defense  , Arizona is playing with the big boys because of their defense  ...

Taylor may be in more demand now than he was previously, thus his price tag may be higher. I'm not sure what the market holds for Taylor. I don't believe he can expect a multi-year contract but it is hard to predict. Taylor strikes out a ton, has a low OBP, and won't hit for a high average. His defense and ability for a quick strike via the long ball and stolen base are positive additions to the good defense. I don't have a feel for his market but $8 million may be a fair number. Will the Twins look at that number and bring Taylor back for insurance? We have seen how critical strong defense is to shutting down an offense during the playoffs with some long runs to record outs by excellent centerfielders. Falvey sees this too.

I do not see anyone except Taylor and hope that we can develop Keirsey or another prospect.  Martin might become a CF option, but he has been an IF and I like someone who owns the position.   Buxton is not in my discussion of CF anymore.  Not sure he is even desirable at DH with the players we not have.  Taylor got more criticism than he deserved - he gave us what we needed.  

So Byron - surprise me - shock the world and discover CF again or Falvey make a move. 

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Taylor may be in more demand now than he was previously, thus his price tag may be higher. I'm not sure what the market holds for Taylor. I don't believe he can expect a multi-year contract but it is hard to predict. Taylor strikes out a ton, has a low OBP, and won't hit for a high average. His defense and ability for a quick strike via the long ball and stolen base are positive additions to the good defense. I don't have a feel for his market but $8 million may be a fair number. Will the Twins look at that number and bring Taylor back for insurance? We have seen how critical strong defense is to shutting down an offense during the playoffs with some long runs to record outs by excellent centerfielders. Falvey sees this too.

Centerfield is more important  than rightfield  , resign Kepler  but this off season trade Kepler  ....

Then we have the 8 million for Taylor  , they have kept Kepler for his defense over the years  , time to keep the defense in Centerfield  ...

Our front office should be approaching this concern  before the players declare free agency  , I'm sure he will get more playing time in the Twins outfield  than anyone else's outfield , he seemed to be happy here and we were fortunate to have him ...

What a comfort it was to have Kirby and Torii in CF for all those years. Something Buck has never been able to provide and probably never will. With CF being such an important position to fill it's way past time for the Twins to find someone other than Buxton to take over that position on a full-time basis, not just as a backup or a year or two at a time. Taylor represents a punt if you want to call it that, at filling that spot. By now we all have heard that Lewis is NOT going to be playing CF. Who else in the organization can become a full-time CFer? Is there anyone? Martin maybe. Celestino? Probably not. Gordon? No way. Maybe E Rodriguez can become that guy but there is talk already of him being a corner outfielder as he matures and gets bigger. Jenkins possibly but he too is adding muscle and pounds and looking to be like Rodriguez. Plus he's a few years away. Can the FO work a trade? That might be the best option. We have plenty of other positions with lots of depth that could make that happen. Get er done.

Taylor was a needed steadying influence in CF. Was he better than Gallo at tbe plate? A little.

I'm all for Austin Martin to come up & take the center field job.  But if Buxton is done, we will want Taylor for depth.

The Twins need SOMEONE to play CF besides Buxton. You just have to assume you won't have Byron, and then be grateful for as many games as you get out of him. Should that someone be Taylor is the question. And I think it might come down to how much the FO likes/believes in Martin.

If they feel he's nearly ready, we really just need a solid fill-in for a few months. Why not Taylor then? I might expect the power to drop, but see his SB numbers rise. The defense is still outstanding. And I don't think the Twins will be looking for a long term replacement in CF for 2024. So Taylor on another 1 year deal might make the most sense.

I believe someone is giving Taylor a 2 year deal and it won't be the Twins. Buxton is the plan but I see DH at best. Rocco and Falvey plan to have Lewis at 3B as they foresee and expect that. But what is the easiest, cheapest (allowing spending elsewhere), and highest quality (both the bat and glove) solution that also clears up the infield log jam - Lewis in CF. I will beat that drum until the Twins sign someone who is a starting CF or Rocco/Falvey guarantee that Lewis is staying at 3B (or SS if Correa would be injured). Lee is coming in 2024 by mid-season and he has to play somewhere.

Want less SO's and and a good mix or power/speed on the team, this midseason lineup/bench would give it to us IMO - Jeffers, Kirilloff, Julien, Correa, Lee, Wallner, Lewis, Kepler, Buxton with a bench of Castro, Martin, Vasquez and maybe Farmer to hit lh's. 

I know a lot of people on this board are down on Nick Gordon, but he strikes me as someone who could be a decent backup plan in center field if Buxton can't start. Otherwise, I'd be fine with having Taylor back on the team again. 

I love MAT. Love the wins and plays and hustle and interviews. Love Farmer too and celebrated his return from the awful HBP. Love Solano and his timely hits and occasionally flashy defense.

These guys helped a lot toward the Twins' first playoff wins and a very enjoyable season.

Rose colored glasses make it hard to separate the role players from the success. But there are a lot of role players out there. The linking of Taylor, Farmer, Solano (and even guys like de Leon and Gallo) to an amazing year shouldn't mean we can't part ways. Breaking up is hard to do. 

Keep a couple if it's feasible for continuity and success. As outfield being the larger question mark I'd nominate Taylor.

For years the Twin had not put importance on CF sub. We limped around in CF for years with Cave as Buxton's sub. They brought up & relied on Celestino too soon, they converted Revsnider & Gordon to CF (which all were an improvement over Cave). Finally they woke up & got Taylor, The result was a division title even with poor seasons from Buxton & Correa our studs. 

They need to continue to put importance on CF subs because we can't depend on Buxton to be in CF with any substantial time. They should have played Martin in CF sooner instead of trying to make him in SS (same what they did. with Julien at 2B instead of acclimated him at 1B which is his true position). To be safe IMO they need to bring back Taylor.

I believe they just need to figure out who is the best overall defender to throw out there between Martin, or bringing back Taylor or bring in Kiermaier.  If they think Martin can defend even close to the other two I would look to roll with him, but Kiermaier is still elite defender and would look to bring him in if possible.  Then if Buck is healthy, something I doubt will ever happen, you can move one of them to corner spot and they would cover so much ground you could almost go with a 2 man OF, not really, but seriously they would be the best duo around. 

I am struggling to see why everyone is giving up on Buxton already.  Have a backup in place, yes.  But to write him off completely makes zero sense right now.

Of Taylor, Solano, and Farmer, we should be able to bring 2 of them back and insert Gordon as a replacement since he is a capable backup and is cheaper.  If one of the bench players falter we have Austin Martin ready for an opportunity.  
 

Wait if Buxton is back we can only keep 1 of those three because Buxton replaces 1 and Gordon the other. Unless of course we keep 2 and let Gordon go…..

I’m not sure where Castro plays better or more often in the IF or OF?  But we should keep the player who is backing up positions he doesn’t.  I do like the idea of Taylor coming back.  Defense is top priority in a backup spotty offensive is usually the goal for a back up as there is a reason they are back ups.  
The bench is the least of my concerns for the offseason as I believe the bench will come from within and possibly whichever players we bring back from last year’s bench and I am good with any and all of the 3 coming back.

1 hour ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

I am struggling to see why everyone is giving up on Buxton already.  Have a backup in place, yes.  But to write him off completely makes zero sense right now.

Agreed. I'd stay in-house. A mix of Buxton, Castro, Gordon, and Austin. Castro and Gordon make an average-defense, good-bat platoon. 

If they are dead set on going outside the org, Harrison Bader makes the most sense. He is 4 years younger. He is Taylor's equal on defense, if not his superior. He's also Taylor's superior on offense while striking out literally half as much.

Bader's flaw is staying healthy. Both Buxton and Bader can be counted on for about 80 games each, making them a perfect pairing for a 162 game season😜

The teams needs insurance against Buxton’s constant injuries. So signing Taylor or someone else for one year seems essential, Despite his high strikeout numbers, Taylor hit some key home runs and played gold glove quality center field. Martin might be an option in the future, but he needs to keep showing improvement at the AAA level first. I hope they resign Castro and move on from Gordon, as Castro has proven his value and has more speed than Gordon. 

On 10/30/2023 at 10:24 AM, Fire Dan Gladden said:

I am struggling to see why everyone is giving up on Buxton already.  Have a backup in place, yes.  But to write him off completely makes zero sense right now.

"giving up on Buxton already." In 9 seasons with the Twins Buxton has averaged 74.4 games played per season. He has averaged a .239 batting average while hitting  a homerun every 19.6 times at bat but striking out once every 3 at bats. For a guy who came up as a "5 tool prospect" that is hardly impressive. His defense would make up for his less than ideal hitting, if he played defense. Right now, I consider him a defensive specialist with some pop, but he hasn't played in 50% of the games he could have.  You are much more patient than I am!

5 minutes ago, Fred said:

"giving up on Buxton already." In 9 seasons with the Twins Buxton has averaged 74.4 games played per season. He has averaged a .239 batting average while hitting  a homerun every 19.6 times at bat but striking out once every 3 at bats. For a guy who came up as a "5 tool prospect" that is hardly impressive. His defense would make up for his less than ideal hitting, if he played defense. Right now, I consider him a defensive specialist with some pop, but he hasn't played in 50% of the games he could have.  You are much more patient than I am!

Like it or not, his contract is sunk money.  Everybody knew the risks involved when he signed his big contract.  We all knew there was a chance his health would not hold up for a full season.  This is the main reason the Twins were able to get him so cheap.

A defensive specialist with some pop?  Seriously?  So he is Michael A Taylor in your eyes?  When Buck is healthy and playing CF, he is one of the most impactful players in baseball.

Gotta sign Taylor. I'd vote for him as team MVP last season. Every bit as good in the field as the Man of Glass and contributed some big hits.  Give him whatever he wants.

18 hours ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

 When Buck is healthy and playing CF, he is one of the most impactful players in baseball.

Unfortunately that's a very rare occurrence. An injured player is a useless player.