ewen21

ANd if 15 of those hits are home runs you really have something. Not sure what you are trying to prove here

Buxton might see a week or two worth or plays without getting the opportunity to set himself apart with his defensive skills. I would argue he can go a lot longer before he makes a play only he and a few other playrs could make, so those are few and far between. He gets up four times a game and each time he steps into the box he has a chance to make an impact. Not sure how this is such a foreign concept to those who insist his glove cancels out his bat. It doesn't. Not by a longshot

All anyone needs to do is read Chief's comment about defense. Sums it all up.

I am sorry. but defemse is not "half of the game" Not by any stretch of the imagination

Hello? Mike Bearadino ran an article this March about how Buxton was proud of his ability to play through pain and how he had no fear of walls https://www.twincities.com/2018/03/28/twins-star-byron-buxton-takes-pride-in-his-ability-to-play-through-pain/ Read the article now and tell me if there aren't red flags, He was very brash about his reckless play in the article above. Not sure how a GM wants to offer a guy like him years and money.

THey have not earned a big payday

So what if he doesn't make the team? Does he accept an assighment? It doesn't work that way. The team ultimately decides what dierection it goes. Why in the world should we sign a concussed 36 year old player who is way past his prime? What if he gets another concussion? It really is kind of silly thinking about it on those terms.

The two of them together contributed close to nothing this year. We could fill their spots with average major leaguers and it would be an upgrade

You seemed very concerned about losing him so that's why Chief listed the date. Not sure why we are looking long on him right now. There are a lot of things he needs to clean up just so he can be in an everyday lineup in the majors. And with his migraine issues, his daredevil-like play and propensity for injuries the picture is even more clouded. You seem to have supreme confidence in his potential and that is all well and good. While you're believing in that don't forget to acknowledge the current reality.

The idea that the Twins present a heinous example of holding a guy back due to service time considerations is absurd. They said it was a factor and they really didn't need to do that. The players union in baseball is probably the strongest union in America. Buxton doesn't have a pot to P in if he's going to file a grievance. He hit .156 and had a variety of ailments he's been nursing all year. He didn't even do well in Rochester until he strung four multi-hit games together. Even with that, and with a small number of at bats there, he barely pushed his average over .270 This doesn't scream PROMOTION to me. Yet I see a lot of people up in arms about this and there is even a discussion about "morality" in here. I have no idea where that fits in to this issue.

If he has an MVP year? Kind of a leap to make at this point, wouldn't you say??

Reading posts about Buxton here over the last couple of years the praise has been overly effusive and premature. I quite frankly don't like venerating baseball players as some otherwordly beings. They entertain me by playing baseball. I am more in awe of a surgeon, a doctor, certain people in law enforcement, the military, etc....those are truly exceptional people. I appreciate baseball players for their ability to play a game and they get plenty of praise lavished upon them along with a ton of money. I think Mauer and Buxton get treated like royalty here in some ways and it is sort of verboten to offer criticism about either. Byron Buxton is not a star by any stretch of the imagination. Last year was an outlier season for his fielding. I seriously doubt he will ever be able to match what he did in the field last year because he was fortunate to get tons of opportunities. Let's just be honest here and admit that he is a big concern right now. Not just for his very real struggles with his hitting (last year's final 7 or 8 weeks aside), but also for his frequent injuries. He is going to be in his 25 year old season and a lot of the pundits here had him earmarked to be a superstar by now. I just sat back and listened. I don't have a crystal ball, but apparently some do. And if I had a nickel for every thread or article tellimg me that "Byron Buxton is Fast" I would have at least $1.98, almost enough to buy a happy meal. Not trying to be combative here, just wondering when people are going to tone it down. Seems totally OK for people to attack those who criticize Buxton and I don't get it. There should be equal time. I am not asking people to come forward and say they were wrong, but I am wondering why people are still fighting hard to tell us how good he is and how good he can be. Can we at least sit back and see without getting a talking to about comments on what happened this season? To discuss what went down in an honest and accurate manner is being characterized as "negativity" and I am really growing weary of that. Buxton had a rough season on many levels. Not for anything, but I saw a red flag back in March when Mike Beradino wrote this article about how he takes pride in playing with pain: https://www.twincities.com/2018/03/28/twins-star-byron-buxton-takes-pride-in-his-ability-to-play-through-pain/ He didn't or could not do that this season and it won't get any easier as time marches forward. I am not ready to say he is a BUST, but damn if he doesn't look like one right now. He needs to have an epiphany and understand that YES.....we do need him to stay healthy and hit. This would mean that he needs to make changes in how he does things. That needs to start this winter. Heck, that should start TODAY, in my opinion. What he did (even with all his talent) isn't quite geting it done

Doesn't matter. The Mauer for the HOF campaign started several years ago and it has been widely discussed here. When a thread about Mauer's career acheivements gets pasted up on this board that is an open invitation for a comment such as the one Thrylos made.

Hello. This counterintuitive reasoning about a bad season and a demotion = another year of team control really has me mystified. This is where the need to "be positive" really gets silly

And there it is right there. For that it makes NO SENSE for him to keep on playing and less for the Twins to keep on paying him to play baseball. Anyone who insists he get re-signed? THe blood is on your hands if that happens. THat is all I am gonna say about that. As far as Buxton goes, he was unnecessarily pedestalized and now we have people who simply can't admit they might have been wrong about his talent. No way in heck is he the generational player some boldly made him out to be. I do not begrudge anyone their opinion, but if a Buxton critic is going to get savaged for ripping the kid then that isn't fair. He is a lightweight on offense and things need to change.

Here is my thing..... In the last I don't know how many years of watching Mauer I have never thought that I am watching "greatness" He's been a pretty boring, ordinary player for quite some time. THe best thing he does is walk a lot. Apart from that, what does he do? HIs ISO numbers have been among the worst in baseball for years and he hasn't been a catcher for six seasons. Where is the value? If he were to sign for anything more than 1 year 5 million we overpaid. Sorry for not feeling sentimental about Mauer. I just want the Twins back on course

I am not down with the counterintuitive thinking I'm seeing regarding Buxton. Everything has to be GOOD instead of what things are? He's had a terrible year? That's great. Give him an extension! Huh??? Really?? Really??

At this point I really could not care less about team control. I really couldn't. This is a player who struggled mightily against major league pitching (a six week run at the end of last year notwithstanding) and is an injury waiting to happen. The Twins may have mishandled him this year, but he has mishandled every opportunity he's been given. The kid gets tons of support and virtually no criticism aside from people like me in the margins. Not sure how much more time, love, support and TLC we need to give to this guy. I give him until next year. If there isn't enough progress I simply cut the cord. It is starting to become an issue, in my opinion. When you have a certain young player who isn't performing (and hasn't for some time) eventually you have to stop treating him like a blue chip talent. It simply is not right to give Buxton special treatment at this point. He should now be viewed as simply another player. If he can't hit or stay healthy then he isn't a major leaguer. If he is weak offensively and gets injured again next year I am totally over him.

You are selling the "gotta look at the positives" angle. That's noble. Just don't get your hackles up when others don't. You went in on Number3 a little too hard. Relax

David St. Peter would be proud of these remarks

We didn't get a year out of Hardy, not because he sucked. Then he went on to have several good years after we traded him. Gomez never became all that much his "five tool player" moniker notwithstanding. You may have an argument in Hicks, but he was not going to be successful here. As far as Buxton is concerned, I cannot understand where you are coming from. Earlier you seemed to suggest you would not be against trading. Was that "sarcasm"? I am not for holding onto any player who sucks for five years. Next year is it for me. He has too many red flags. He strikes out a ton, doesn't get on base, doesn't hit for average, gets lots of injuries and relies almost entirely on speed. Where is he headed with that kind of a profile? I am not saying GET RID OF HIM!! I am simply saying a) it's time to understand he likely isn't going to be great (maybe not even good) and we need to stop giving endless amounts of rope to guys just so they can hang themselves

I don't think we moved on from Hicks or Gomez too early. We got Hardy for Gomez and that was a pretty good haul. Had we held onto Hardy we would not have bothered to think of Gomez. Gomez is also a sideshow and he was not "Twins-like" I also thought it was not a terrible move to trade Hicks for JR Murphy. IT was a roll of dice and we got snake eyes. Hicks had his chance with us and it was becoming apparent that he was not developing with this organization. And there is the rub. I am not sure if Buxton has a chance in this organization. THere is something seriously lacking when players make the jump from the low minors to where they need to be. He was great to talk about as a prospect and it was great to coo on and on about his "tools" and "potential" The kid needs to put on the big boy pants and embrace the fact that he has to contribute at the major league level. I don't know what kind of mental barrier he has put up, but there is something about him that has me concerned. Almost like the major leagues is too big for him. He almost acts like he is in his apprenticeship. There are players several years younger that are more polished. It is almost as though the Twins put him on a pedestal and believed his talents were so great he would figure it out.

I do not agree with the underlined for the simple fact that his offense is way WAY behind the curve and it simply isn't going to correct itself. The last seven weeks of last year seems more and more like a mirage. Subtract out that little run and his major league stats are atrocious. I am also worried about his propensity for getting injured and the zeal with which he runs into walls. I am having a hard time envisioning him being much more than a Jackie Bradley type..... And it is funny. When Bradley had his little spurt 2 years ago people liked to compare Buxton to him. How come not now? Not positive enough? Let's get real with Buxton.

When you to have say we aren't as bad as the Reds, Marlins and Padres to find a sliver lining you are reaching. If this is "being positive" then I don't any part of it. The Twins need to make tough decisions and honestly assess what they need to do. I happen think they need to let go of both Molitor and Mauer after this season. It is time to move on into the next era. Needing local guys to sell the product is a Mickey Mouse approach.

Interesting.