Buxton Promoted to AA

[DuluthFan]

Buxton does not need to be added to the 40 man roster until 2016. Unless he is definitely 100% going to be on the opening day roster, there is no need to add him to the roster at this time. That spot can be used to protect another young player from the rule 5 draft this offseason. The Twins could also sign a few free agent outfielders in the offseason and would need the space. Buxton could also get seriously injured in the offseason and miss more time. In that case you could waste one of his years under control on a stay on the disabled list. Look at Sano's season this year. At this point in the year, it would best to leave him off the roster. He will be around next year, he's not going anywhere.

[ScottyB]

I don't know, things are trending up. I remain hopeful for next year.

 

Would love to see you more positive Mike.  Would also like to see more wins.  This is starting to remind me of 1981 and the changes that year which lead to a lineup which included Hrbek, Gaetti, Brunansky, Laudner, etc. in 1982 and the World Championship in 1987.  (But I see better pitching in this version and a quicker WS title.)

[drjim]

Yeah Mike, it feels kind of weird being on this side of the ball.  But really, with everything that went down on Monday, August 11, 2014, to me it felt like such a watershed moment for the Twins near-future fortunes.

 

I would see that day as the fruit of many of the moves that had happened leading up to it.

 

Ryan had to rebuild the depth of the organization before he could get to this point. Part of this was plugging holes with mediocre vets to buy time for the development of the prospects. Now they have reached a point where they can move on from the scramble of just being able to field a representative team to now being a little bit more strategic in their moves and setting things up to be competitive in the not to distant future.

[jokin]

I would see that day as the fruit of many of the moves that had happened leading up to it.

 

Ryan had to rebuild the depth of the organization before he could get to this point. Part of this was plugging holes with mediocre vets to buy time for the development of the prospects. Now they have reached a point where they can move on from the scramble of just being able to field a representative team to now being a little bit more strategic in their moves and setting things up to be competitive in the not to distant future.

 

 

Yes, fair points, of which I'm largely in agreement.  But a lot of the fruit has been bitter, and besides their share of bad luck,  Pohlad pulled the rug out from undeneath Smith's philosophical concept of the team as a "spend your way to current success" MO. After his dismissal, there was a lack of vigor and a clearly defined, either "All-In" or All-Out" strategy in the initial and ongoing response to the 2011 trainwreck (much better in that regard when TR was at the helm over the last year after Pohlad went public with the need for a change at 2013 season's end).  Quite simply, many of the moves leading up to this point have been misguided at the best, and horribly wrong at the worst- a product of trying to be half-in and half-rebuild.

 

On a positive note, I still stand by my terming yesterday as a watershed moment, it now looks like this plan is largely in the rear-view mirror. I too would like to see more strategic moves this offseason, something along the lines of say.... signing Shields and either Tomas or Sandoval, which would immediately put the Twins right in the conversation in the 2015 AL pennant race, and the Twins-

 

with the catcher spot solidified, a bevy of SP arms, among whom many could have solid, to break-out, to career-year seasons, plus the two uber-talented position prospects (Buxton and Sano) on the verge of big contributions in the second half of 2015-  

 

now have the funds available to finally get premier FAs, not retreads or bounce-back types. 

[tobi0040]

Yes, fair points, of which I'm largely in agreement.  But a lot of the fruit has been bitter, and besides their share of bad luck,  Pohlad pulled the rug out from undeneath Smith's philosophical concept of the team as a "spend your way to current success" MO. After his dismissal, there was a lack of vigor and a clearly defined, either "All-In" or All-Out" strategy in the initial and ongoing response to the 2011 trainwreck (much better in that regard when TR was at the helm over the last year after Pohlad went public with the need for a change at 2013 season's end).  Quite simply, many of the moves leading up to this point have been misguided at the best, and horribly wrong at the worst- a product of trying to be half-in and half-rebuild.

 

On a positive note, I still stand by my terming yesterday as a watershed moment, it now looks like this plan is largely in the rear-view mirror. I too would like to see more strategic moves this offseason, something along the lines of say.... signing Shields and either Tomas or Sandoval, which would immediately put the Twins right in the conversation in the 2015 AL pennant race, and the Twins-

 

with the catcher spot solidified, a bevy of SP arms, among whom many could have solid, to break-out, to career-year seasons, plus the two uber-talented position prospects (Buxton and Sano) on the verge of big contributions in the second half of 2015-  

 

now have the funds available to finally get premier FAs, not retreads or bounce-back types. 

 

I count about $59M in payroll committed to 2016, then a bunch of rookies.  So we have the money and Shields would be really nice.  But I don't know that we would ever do that and the Nolasco signing probaly hasn't increased the likelihood.

 

Unfortunately.

[Seth Stohs]

I think John Manuel makes a really good point though. Getting Buxton (and Levi Michael) up to New Britain allows them to send two OTHER Ft. Myers players to the Arizona Fall League. Each organization can only send 2 players below the AA level to the AFL. Likely the Twins want Buxton and Michael to get at bats there, but may want guys like Walker or Lee or others with the Miracle to go there too. 

[jokin]

I think John Manuel makes a really good point though. Getting Buxton (and Levi Michael) up to New Britain allows them to send two OTHER Ft. Myers players to the Arizona Fall League. Each organization can only send 2 players below the AA level to the AFL. Likely the Twins want Buxton and Michael to get at bats there, but may want guys like Walker or Lee or others with the Miracle to go there too. 

 

As I've posted elsewhere to you, Seth, in the minor league summary thread..... according to the AFL website, August 1 is the deadline for rostering players to AA or above to have players count towards the normal selection process. (Admittedly, the AFL is probably loose with their rules, I'm hoping that the Twins have other motives for the promotion besides Fall ball maneuvering).

 

And what about Kepler? And maybe Burdi?

 

If what Manuel says is true though, it does exemplify the point that the focal point of the best prospective talent in the Twins' system is in Ft Myers.

[Mike Sixel]

Mo way I would send Burdi to the AFL. He will pitch plenty this year, imo.

[bird]

tobi and mike, the optimists on this thread......

What am I, chopped liver?

[Craig Arko]

Wow, after reading this thread I'm not sure if it calls for champagne or a shot of Tequila.

 

No sense in letting either go to waste. Cheers to Mr. Buxton and to the positive waves.

 

Now about those two openings on the 40-man...

[jokin]

I think John Manuel makes a really good point though. Getting Buxton (and Levi Michael) up to New Britain allows them to send two OTHER Ft. Myers players to the Arizona Fall League. Each organization can only send 2 players below the AA level to the AFL. Likely the Twins want Buxton and Michael to get at bats there, but may want guys like Walker or Lee or others with the Miracle to go there too. 

 

 

Brad Steil, via Mike Berardino late this afternoon:

 

 

 

“We were just trying to get him enough at-bats to get his timing and his swing back,” Twins director of minor league operations Brad Steil said Tuesday. “We think he was getting close. We wanted to get him some time in Double-A before the end of the season.”

 

Positioning Buxton for a second straight stint in the Arizona Fall League “really didn’t have anything to do with it,” Steil said. There are limits to how many Class A players organizations may send to the elite-prospect league, but the Twins were able to send both Buxton and Max Kepler from Class A last year.

“We’ll see how the next couple weeks go,” Steil said. “(Arizona) is always an option.”

[Mike Sixel]

What am I, chopped liver?

I hope not, I hate chopped liver.....

[Paul Pleiss]

I think John Manuel makes a really good point though. Getting Buxton (and Levi Michael) up to New Britain allows them to send two OTHER Ft. Myers players to the Arizona Fall League. Each organization can only send 2 players below the AA level to the AFL. Likely the Twins want Buxton and Michael to get at bats there, but may want guys like Walker or Lee or others with the Miracle to go there too. 

 

I was just going to ask a question about this topic, concerning Buxton's promotion and AFL guys. Thanks Seth.

 

I'm also curious to see how Levi Michael does at AA, hopefully he'll be on an MiLB.tv game or two before the season is out.

[John Kelsey]

Buxton collided with Kvasnicka in the outfield and both have been down for a few minutes......