ewen21

Since Buxton hasn’t had a career resembling Hunter’s in any way, how can we expect him to suddenly change course now? By the way, it was literally a full four or five years before Hunter moved. No way on Gods green earth would Hunter have been asked to move from CF in his 31 year old season. Factually speaking, Hunter was regarded as the best defensive CF in the game and played in 160 games at age 31.

Dear lord..... In what world is Buxton's career comparable to Torii Hunter's? We all saw Torii Hunter play and that man did PLAY. Hunter collected 1.391 runs batted in for his career. If Buxton were to drive in 100 runs per year over the next ten seasons he STILL would not reach what Hunter did. Hunter accomplished more as a player after age 32 than Buxton has in his ten seasons as a Twin and it isn't even close. To bring even more clarity to this insane comparison, in the seven years AFTER the was traded from the Twins Hunter played in 999 games as an Angel and a Tiger. These were his age 32 to 38 seasons. There is no assurance Buxton will ever play in 1,000 games in his entire career if you ask me. Torii collected over 1,100 hits in the seven seasons playing with Anaheim and Detroit. Hunter's WAR during those seven seasons with LAA and DET is almost exactly the same as what Buxton has accomplished in his entire career. Never once did we need to be concerned about having a stand in CF when Hunter was a Twin. The fact that the Twins are compelled to assemble a roster that has a plan b centerfielder tells you all you need to know. Does anyone seriously think Buxton will flick on a switch in his 31 year old season and accomplish what Hunter did? Why even waste two seconds hoping that he does? It will never happen! I understand optimism, but when optimism overwhelms reality and logical thinking it is counterproductive. It is also a slight to Torii Hunter. Stop the insanity.

This article is precisely why Buxton cannot be considered a "star player" The comedy team?

He had 13 hits and 7 RBI in the second half on a team that had a monumental collapse. You wanna crown him “Team MVP” go ahead. We have another article saying “What was the point?” signing him. There’s your MVP.

Return to form? Superstar? Elite? What’s with the Buxton obsession and the absurd requirement that everyone go along with the silly superlatives. He’d had greater than 76 hits in a season just ONCE coming into this year. His lifetime average is .243 and his lifetime OBP is .304. He had 99 hits this year. FACTS!! Since when is this a superstar? That’s an extremely biased opinion from a Twins fan who can’t accept of Twins fans don’t like this player. Are you just trolling now? Please cut it out. I’m a Twins fans so this getting embarrassing. Ohtani, Judge and Lindor had superstar seasons. Bobby Witt Jr had a superstar season. Stop it. Please!

He's making a case to replace Rocco. That much is clear. What are you arguing? Is it that you want to be contrarian to those who want him gone even though you "literally said" you did not know if he should be kept or not? I actually think the Rocco bashing has become ridiculous. It is a distraction from what I see as the real problem: our GM alliance. They hired a guy like Rocco for a reason, and that was he could be molded and controlled by them. Whether that was explicitly stated by them or not doesn't matter. Why else would they hire someone with no managerial credentials? I wanted Rocco gone long ago, but I also realize switching managers under this current configuration of leadership will not matter at all. That's why I think all this is sort of silly. They will pick another manager that is philosophically aligned with their interpretations of how to use analytics. Then again, I can relate to Chief and Aggies7. Why shouldn't we simply axe him? He has had six seasons and that's plenty of time to create a culture. He ABSOLUTELY has a lot to do with that and I believe we need better leadership in the clubhouse. That would include some of the players who have been tabbed as leaders. Only thing is, we are stuck with them.

I wanted him gone after the one and done in the 2019. His “I’m not frustrated at all” comment basically sums up the atmosphere that’s been around here FOREVER. Any remember Michael Cuddyer labeling 2010 a “successful season” after being swept once again the first round? It’s woven into the fabric. I’m afraid ditching Rocco is the equivalent of moving the deck chairs on the Titanic. We need to go wayyyy deeper.

Duplicated post

Sorry for the duplicate

You sound like a historian. Did you watch Larry Hisle as a Twin and a Brewer back when the Brewers were in the AL? He was a very good player. In his five years with the Twins Hisle produced higher totals in hits and RBI than Buxton has in his entire career. Sounds crazy, but it's true. Buxton hit more homers and scored more runs, but that is all he has on Larry Hisle's offensive output: What's more, Hisle played in 662 games in his five years and collected 697 hits; while Buxton has collected 639 over a career that spans ten seasons and 772 games. In Larry Hisle's five seasons in Minnesota he also drove in 409 runs compared to Buxton's 353 in 110 fewer games played! Hisle scored 369 runs in five seasons to Buxton's 426 runs scored FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Even with the 110 extra games played, being put in to pinch run and with all that speed. Like I said, Hisle was a nice player. He hit .286 with a 354 OBP, a ,457 SLG and an OPS of .811. Who would you rather have in your lineup? In my opinion, Buxton needs to do what Hisle did as a 31 year old in order for me to take him seriously.

How about this instead… He cannot hold up to the rigors of daily life in Major League Baseball.

Chet Lemon was a nice player. It’s not a slight to say he’s not even close to being a “borderline HOFer”. Guys with under 2,000 hits are not borderline HOFers. Ashbury said he had a better career than Buxton and that’s all he needed to say. No need to postulate or explain the reason why that is. At the end of the day it’s about achievement and not potential or what ifs. I never got an explanation as to why Buxton gets all these articles desperately trying to elevate his status. What’s the point? Honestly. Stop telling your readers what we are seeing isn’t really what we are seeing. Players play. Remember Mike Lamb? He hit 12 to 14 HRs a few times in around 300 at bats before we got him. I remember talking to an enthusiastic fan about him before he arrived and was told we can expect between 25-30 HRs if he just became an every day player. Right. If the queen had two balls she’d be king. It’s the same thing with Buxton. No one wants to hear it after ten seasons. Whether he can, can’t or won’t all we know is he DOES NOT play half of the time and we have an extremely large sample size: A TEN YEAR CAREER

I have CLAIMED that in the past, but he has improved as a hitter so I don’t say he can’t hit. I post his lifetime stats as a reminder that he’s no great offensive player. I assume you remember a player named Chet Lemon. Do you think Buxton’s career is shaping up to be better than his? Was Chet Lemon ever doused with such lavish praise? He was an above average player. A nice player. And he’s better than Buxton. I’ve watched MLB since 1972. I was a subscriber to Baseball Digest from about 1977 to 1984. Read all the baseball stats you can find. I just don’t understand all the positive ink he gets, nor can I fathom the sensitivity to any criticism he gets on the part of crowd of folks here.

As if the 45 million he made playing in Minnesota wasn't enough. Outside of the second half of last year, Max has been lackluster and underachieving ever since the Bomba Squad left town.

It won't be mine, but this is an anti-Twins fan article.

Based on what? We do know he walked out on his teammates in Rochester when after a miserable 2018 he was not called up. We also know he had a couple of Twitter exchanges with Twins fans calling them clowns. He is just a dude to me. What makes in "such a good dude" to you?

And let's not forget he had an absolutely BRUTAL 2018 and then when he was not called up in September he flipped out and left his teammates in Rochester. He cleaned out his locker and left with a couple of games left to play. I thought that was unprofessional and the was the moment he lost me. It was reported he didn't return phone calls. He'd hit .156 in 2018 and was not even hitting .240 in Rochester until just days before September callups. The Twins made a baseball decision and he needed to swallow that. What did he end up saying? "I don't know what more I have to do"

Plus, he doesn't play with injuries so the games that he has played in are at his absolute optimal best because the Twins treat him like he is Prince Diana. Are we going to do cartwheels if he gets one more hit and reaches the hundred hit plateau for the SECOND time in his entire career?

This article is about Buxton or those who dare to criticize him? Are you looking to illicit a response from the critics? If so then allow it to happen. At least now you guys aren't issue warnings and taking down posts that question or criticize this guy. I keep hearing references to his offense but his career numbers are not good at all. All facts here….. 1. .304 lifetime OBP 2. .244 lifetime average 3. He’s never scored 70 runs in a season. 4. Has had over 100 hits in a season once 5. He has never scored 70 runs in a season 6. The most RBI he’s ever driven in is 56 That is NOT GREAT by any standard so please stop! Furthermore, he has proved NOTHING this year other than he continues to be a question mark at all times. He's proved nothing besides the fact that he cannot be relied upon to play. This is by far his best offensive year and yet we are constantly bombarded with grandiose statements about his "greatness" Sorry, but the numbers do not lie. He is not a great player. He has averaged less than half the games every single year (aside from the COVID season) ever since his "breakout season" in 2017.

1000% this

Rocco should be fired, but he is FAR from being THE REASON for this.

Going into this season Buxton had played in more than 92 games only once and collected more than 76 only once. I do want to hear "if healthy" anymore. He was sore for a month and did not play. Someone needs to tell him that ballplayers have to play through soreness down the stretch. There was nothing that showed up on any scans and there was no diagnosis beyond a sore hip. That diagnosis comes from Buxton himself and the organization has had this "protect at all costs" mentality where he is protected like the Hope Diamond. I blame the guys in the front office for this. They are the ones who imposed load management on Buxton to the degree where HE now feels he cannot play unless he is 100% (or darn close to it). That is not reality in any sphere of manhood. Forget sports. There are jobs far more difficult than playing major league baseball which are more important and pay a lot less. People like him get replaced in the normal world. I did several jobs that were hard labor when I was about his age. How many times I dragged myself out of bed to work when I was sore? I have seen friends who are farmers, construction workers, tradesmen, etc.....work daily year in year out with all sorts of ailments for YEARS. In that context, it is very hard to for me understand how soreness holds him back for a month during the most important time of the year. I guarantee you Carlos Santana was sore all through August and September, but he soldiered on. We all watched Torii Hunter play a reckless brand of baseball like Buxton, but his toughness carried him through. Sorry man. I just have to clap back on those who celebrate this. I think it is part of the problem with the organizational culture here. Aim low, hit a target even lower seems to be the philosophy and it gets passed off as being glass half full.

Completely agree. How is it unreasonable to expect a player in the prime of his career to play something resembling a full season? When 2020 is excluded, since his “breakout season” in 2017, in the six full seasons that followed he’s played in an average of just 76 games in those seasons. That is right around 47% of the games played in six seasons. There is no WHY that explains this away anymore. These are the seasons of his career from age 25 to age 30. I don’t want to hear theories or excuses as to WHY at this point. He’s played in less that 50% of the games in the last six full seasons. That’s just a fact. Let’s not obscure that with theories, excuses or explanations. So he’s having a little hot streak in his last 10 days. It’s too little, too late as this team is already cooked. And quite frankly, no player who plays in 47% of the games on the schedule in his prime deserves to be elevated to “face of the franchise” as this place has in a recent article. Nor should 100 games played be considered a milestone. If anyone wants to celebrate that be my guest. Just don’t tell me or anyone else who is incredulous over the celebration we can’t feel a certain way about a millionaire ballplayer who can’t go more than 50% over the last six full seasons. Don’t expect much out of the Twins if this kind of “accomplishment” is considered a good thing. It lowers accountability across the board.

He’s offered plenty of criticism. What are you saying beyond the ellipses?

Don’t mistake my input here for rage. However, when I see all the thumbs down on posts that were entirely fair and done with no malice I have to back them. I posted a list of facts in my last post. I don’t know how anyone can disagree with it