TheLeviathan

This. Any other take is like buying a mansion because you're convinced that next lottery ticket is "the one" It's fundamental asset mismanagement of the worst kind: ignoring the obvious on fool's hope.

You are literally agreeing with the original post but continuing to claim you disagree with it. It's nonsensical. At best you devolved to pure semantics about the words ability and trait which is fallacious and unfair.

It came up because it seemed odd as a sarcastic dig at a post that agrees with you. I think the problem came when you bristled at a completely innocuous post, not with your overall point. You found (or implied at the very least) disagreement where there really was none. I think we all share lament that the young man can't play and there isn't much he can do about it.

Durability is a natural athletic ability and the extent to which it can be improved is limited. Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler, and pretty much every other human on the planet has no chance of improving their speed to the degree that Buxton possesses. Minor improvements? Sure. But they can't transform into something they're not. Likewise, there is nothing Buxton can do about his natural durability and resistance to injury. It's simply not a gift he was blessed with. It's not a "skill" like hitting or throwing a curveball, it's more like how fast you run or how tall you grew. At this point I'm not even sure what you're trying to say. I'll leave it at this: The original poster just lamented that for all of Buck's talents, he wasn't blessed with the ability to stay on the field and there's nothing he can do about that. And it sucks for all of us, but especially his career. Whatever "weird" road you took us down from there is due to your interpretations of that rather simple, and IMO undeniable, observation.

You quoted something but then interpreted it in a really strange way.....Let's try a simple analogy by using the same phrase you think is so dastardly and then subbing a few words: If I say "Kepler doesn't have the same ability to run the bases as Buxton"....have I somehow created an "onus for Kepler to cultivate that"? I would think not. It's just an acknowledgement of natural ability and natural abilities vary from player to player. Can Kepler work around the edges of his speed or baserunning to make modest improvements? Sure. I feel like Buxton did that by adding some muscle in fact. But at the end of the day, just like speed and power, durability is something I'm not sure you can fix. And some players, again just like speed and power, either have it or they don't. You seem to acknowledge what the poster said, but then twisted it for some reason I can't understand. Nowhere in that post does it blame Buxton for anything, that's something you read into it. (Unfairly, IMO, given how easily your example can be exposed by analogy) Yes, it's not in his control, but there is no reason not to acknowledge it either. The guy has been a pro for almost a decade now and this is what it is. His body just doesn't allow all that talent to stay on the field. It sucks. I feel bad for him most of all.

I think Byron Buxton is actively losing money not being on the field. This argument doesn't wash because, especially in baseball and now more than ever, teams are hesitant to dole out money to players they can't count on in the field. I think this post implies Buxton isn't "tough" which is different than acknowledging he isn't "durable" or "available". Make no mistake, every IL stint he has potentially costs him MILLIONS.

I really think you read something in that wasn't there. It is a criticism of just, for whatever each individual reason, Buxton cant be available. It isn't to blame Buxton but acknowledge the reality. We should all be at that point with Donaldson too.

No and that's a fallacious argument. The poster you responded to clearly said that injuries have a large component of luck to them. I will make no argument that Buxton's hand injury was some really terrible luck. But the point of that post was to put this unlucky break in the context of what seems like an endless array of "unlucky" breaks. At some point constantly falling victim to injuries of all sorts stops being a pattern we can deny based on luck and one we simply have to recognize isn't going away. Not all athletes can match their amazing skillset with durability. It sucks, he's a great person and a great player, but at some point we have to come to terms with the reality of his ability to stay on a baseball field.

Yup and I'm willing to pay more, but it's a reasonable starting point that won't offend him and gets us on the path to keep him around.

I'd offer him 5 and 105M. I think it might work.

Trading Berrios will be the much harder pill for me to swallow. We've had so few quality pitchers developed here and I just love the kids approach. Buxton, no matter how stirry a straw he is for the drink, is basically a part-time player. You can't give part-time position players mega-deals. His body isn't going to get more resilient and his best asset is going to start declining sooner than you think. Couple that with the burned bridges we know about and let's hope he can flash for the contenders. Moving on from his is in the best interest of this team and for the mental well being of the fans.

I came to the comments to make this joke. Hat tip good sir.

I've defended Sano for awhile, but this team's best future is probably not going to include him. Not at 1B or DH and that's all I think he can play. They need to decide what Gordon's best future position is and play him there every day. Every day, I don't care who has to sit.

If Buxton is healthy: trade him. This team burned the extension bridge with him and, even if they didn't, I want no part of it. If he could play 120 games I'd give him the farm, but he can't. Get what you can and start making sure Gordon or Lewis or someone else is the CFer of the future for this team. Disclaimer: I do not love this conclusion, it's just the only reasonable one left.

No, no we don't.

TROLPO ate him.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/sports/baseball/mlb-injuries-soft-tissue.html https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/09/baseball-injuries-mlb-rise-reasons-covid Lots of articles out there confirming a large spike in baseball injuries. These are just two of a trove that arent hard to find. Nothing to do with the Twins sucking, just one more sweet ingredient to MLB's rapid decline into irrelevancy.

I don't believe you're reading that right. The 2021 data is for 40% of the season and the other seasons are for the entire year. At least that's how I'm reading it. Is that right @Tom Froemming? If so, not only are injuries up, but they are up at a ridiculously high rate both for the Twins and the league as a whole. (Which jives with other articles I've read)

All future Weeks In Review can be summarized thusly:

The driver who taxis our guys from the Saints to the Twins. He's handled a meteoric rise in volume like a champ.

Satire about them isn't even able to match the actual silliness of these rules. Good try though.

Listen to CC preach. (Lots of language, but the point is there)

A few things stand out to me: 1. The first affront to the game of baseball was putting Austidillo on the mound. I can't think of a more "defiling" act towards professional baseball than some catcher throwing 40 mph "heaters" in a professional game. Hockey teams don't put their wings in at goalie. Football teams don't play their third QB at safety. Basketball teams don't play their equipment guy at center. It seems odd to me that we're aghast that a professional hitter took a professional swing in a professional game and not what the Twins did on the mound. This kind of mind-numbing logic is the root of unwritten rules. 2. What do you want hitters facing guys like Austidillo to do? Stand there and get walked? Stand there and take strikes? I'm sure that will help the ol' pace of play. 3. I'm going to let Lisa Simpson handle the "but it stopz so much stuffz from happening" argument. 4. I've never understood why "old school" and "integrity" and other words are so tightly associated with a vague, randomly enforced set of rules designed to cover a bunch of butthurt cry baby professionals who complain mostly because they're getting beat. If you don't like things happening......stop them. What's more old school than that? 5. I commend the NHL and NBA for their steps to stop player policing. (The NFL is a sport that basically requires you to play people correctly or risk serious injury) They haven't fixed all their problems, but both their sports are better for it and continue to improve because of it. Don't worry, baseball will dinosaur itself long before you have to worry about whether some team who puts their third string infield in at pitcher can whine about being down 16-0 rather than 15-0 cuz some evil scumbag *gasp* swung his bat! I know I can't wait until we get that sweet, sweet inning of Kyle Garlick on the mound just so we can salivate at the chance to stomp our feet and be angry someone tried to swing on him!

There are no fun ways to lose, but there may be no more frustrating way in all of sports than a baseball team and a bad bullpen.

If he goes 0-30 will it then magically switch to an "obviously great decision" with no debate? Doesn't your framing seem a bit too aggressive given Badoo couldn't trade a plate appearance for an egg and fill a carton?