ewen21

Gordon is not deserving by any stretch, Kiriloff is 20 and has not played above A ball, Lewis is 19 and has not played a game above A ball, Rooker struck out 150 times in AA and had an OPS south of .800. How is that for perspective?

The problem with working so hard to "stay positive" is that in the process one can stray too far from reality.

The education of Linus Van Pelt continues

How do you know it's overblown if we really can't measure it's influence? I think it is important sometimes, depending on who the leader is. I think Jeter was a very important element to the Yankee teams because he led through example. The guy had such a high standard, worked so hard and give it all on the field. Other players saw that and understood they better do likewise. It matters as much as poor leadership, which can sidetrack a team

If Buxton is not answering Torii's messages he has issues. This is a kid who has been praised for his great attitude, but this stuff is horribly immature. Torii has been a mentor, a friend and his biggest advocate. For Buxtom to not respond to his messages? That is indefensible. He could be mad at the GMs but Torii did nothing to him. He was lauded as a high character guy. I'm wondering what it is about him that made him that. Maybe he was respectful of authority when he first came into the organization. So what? That's what you're supposed to do. One thing that has become apparent is he doesn't seem to handle adversity very well. Not sure how an athlete can be "high character" and throw a tantrum like this. Never mind that presses every single year out of the gate and seems to have a mental block about that. For him to ignore Torii at this time is out of hand

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

Show a guy jumping up and down, screaming insanely...... YOu gotta be positive!!! YOu gotta be positive!!! or "Being positive".....It sure beats reality

All this outrage for Buxton not being called up is absurd. What are they going to do? File a grievance? WHat a joke.

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.

I get the whole injuries excuse, but can we be real? Erv is 35 years old. How much should we have reasonably expected? Now let's get real. Buxton, Sano and Castro were all terrible when they played. What if all three did not get injured and played every day. Castro would probably be hitting around .200, and Buxton? Maybe he just isn't a major league bat. He got hot at the end of last year, but then lot's of players have had spurts. Not sure that run at the end of last year says more to me than the beginning of the last few seasons. Maybe he is going to be one of those injury plagued guys who just never puts it together? It happens and as a Twins fan it is very concerning to watch his regression. And Sano came into camp fat. There were red flags everywhere with him before the season started. He needed to do conditioning DURING the season because he didn't when he was supposed to. THat isn't bad luck The problem I have with Buxton and Sano is they don't seem to learn. THe Twins have done a poor job developing players for a long time. We might not like it and Reusse might be a curmudgeon, but this article is entirely fair. Sick of the excuses. Injuries were not so much the cause of this terrible season as much as it was young players like Kepler, Sano and Buxton regressing and vets like Dozier and MOrrison doing nothing

This stuff about Buxton, Sano and Casto being injured. OK. So what? They were terrrible when they weren't injured! Can't even listen to the injury excuse.

If you look at Tyler Austin and Jake Cave they carry themselves differently. There is something to be said for the mindset of our young players. Buxton, for example, strikes me as a guy entrenched in the apprentice mindset. If he can hit .200 and run all over the place that is just grand