Article: Twins Minor league Report (8/13): Buxton Suffers Concussion

[Seth Stohs]

The Minor League Report is meant to provide Twins Daily readers with an update on the goings-on throughout the Twins minor league system. We include who pitched, who had multi-hit games or home runs, and who was involved with transactions.

 

However, something happened on Wednesday night to remind us again (as if we should need it), that these minor leaguers are more than just names in box scores and stat lines.

 

Byron Buxton made his Double-A debut on Wednesday night against Bowie. Sure, he went 0-3 with three strikeouts. However, in the top of the 5th, he chased a fly ball to right center. It was caught by Mike Kvasnicka, but Buxton dove for the ball. His head collided with Kvasnicka’s hip. The game was delayed for 35 minutes. Buxton was knocked out, unconscious for about ten minutes. He was stabilized and left the field in an ambulance. Kvasnicka also went to the hospital for evaluation.Terry Ryan happened to be in New Britain. He went with the players to the hospital. He later told the Rock Cats radio announcers what he had learned. Mike Kvasnicka was back in the dugout with the team and had just a sore hip. Buxton was given several tests and found no broken bones. He did suffer a concussion and will likely be placed on the disabled list and miss more time. Though a concussion is not a good thing, things could have been much worse. By the end of the game, Buxton had returned to the clubhouse as well.

 

(If you would like to, here is the video of the play.)

 

To find out more about how that Rock Cats game ended up, and much more from around the Twins farm system, you’ll want to continue reading. A top Twins pitching prospect made his first start in nearly a month. Here is the Minor League Report for Wednesday:

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Game 1 – Rochester 7, Durham 8 (11 innings)

Box Score

 

Knowing they were playing two games on Wednesday, extra frames in Game 1, a continuation of a suspended game, is probably the last thing that either team wanted. Sean Gilmartin had started this game with two innings. He had given up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. When the game resumed on Wednesday, Mark Hamburger took the mound. He was charged with six runs (five earned) on ten hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five. Stephen Pryor struck out three over two scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson faced two batters in the 10^th inning and both got hits. Michael Tonkin came in and gave up the game winning run.

 

Game 2 – Rochester 4, Durham 2

Box Score

 

It most likely was a one-start promotion, but right-hander Tyler Duffey made the most of this appearance with a terrific start. In six innings, he gave up just two runs five hits and two walks. In that sixth inning, he allowed a two-run homer to Nick Franklin. Duffey struck out seven to earn the win. Lester Oliveros struck out two in the 7th for his fourth save. In his last seven games, he has given up 0 runs in 13 innings and has struck out 21 batters.

 

Josmil Pinto went 2-3 in the game. Doug Bernier and Chris Herrmann each doubled.

 

ROCK CATS REVIEW

New Britain 8, Bowie 5

Box Score

 

Obviously the big news in this game was the collision between Mike Kvasnicka and Byron Buxton, but the game did continue and the Rock Cats picked up a win. Buxton was 0-3 with three strikeouts before his injury. He also threw out a base runner at third base. Levi Michael also made his AA debut at second base. He went 2-3 and stole two bases. Eddie Rosario went 1-3 with two walks. The Rock Cats had seven hits, walked four times and four players were hit by a pitch.

 

It was a bullpen game for the Rock Cats. Cole Johnson started and threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and was charged with one run on one hit and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Alex Wimmers gave up four runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out two. Jim Fuller struck out two over the final 2.2 innings. He gave up no runs on three hits and recorded his first save of the year.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Game 1 – Ft. Myers 1, St. Lucie 6

Box Score

 

Brett Lee made the start in the first game of this doubleheader. The lefty gave up five runs on eight hits, three walks and a hit batter in 3.1 innings. Todd Van Steensel came on and gave up one run on a hit and two walks over 2.2 innings. Madison Boer pitched a scoreless inning.

 

Niko Goodrum hit his third home run of the year. Aderlin Mejia was 2-3 with two walks in the game.

 

Game 2 – Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 3

Box Score

 

The Miracle were able to split their doubleheader with a Game 2 win. This was also a bullpen game. Brandon Peterson started and went the first 2.1 innings. He was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Alex Muren came on and gave up just two hits over 2.2 scoreless innings. Nick Burdi made his Florida State League debut. He gave up a hit, but he struck out two in his inning. DJ Johnson got the final inning and gave up an unearned run on one hit.

 

Dalton Hicks went 2-4. Tyler Grimes was 1-1 with two walks. Jason Kanzler also walked twice.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 1

Box Score

 

It had been nearly a month since he had last pitched, but Kohl Stewart returned to the mound for the Kernels in Beloit on Wednesday night. Limited to just 50 pitches, Stewart completed four innings. He gave up a run on three hits. He walked none and struck out four. Chih-Wei Hu came on and earned the win with five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked a batter and struck out three.

 

JD Williams led the offense. He went 2-2 with two walks, his 16^th double and his third home run. Max Murphy had a big game as well. He was 2-4 with his fourth double and third home run. Jonatan Hinojosa led off and went 2-4 with a walk. Mitch Garver was 2-4. Chad Christensen went 1-3 with his seventh triple. He was also hit by a pitch twice.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 0

Box Score

 

John Curtiss was a tremendous reliever in college, but he’s being given an opportunity to start in Elizabethton. He had a terrific game on Wednesday. The right-hander gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He walked none and struck out ten. Sam Clay came on and walked two and struck out two over two scoreless innings. CK Irby struck out two in a perfect ninth inning.

Jorge Fernandez went 2-2 with a walk. Trey Vavra went 1-1 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and his 13^th double. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3.

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 9, GCL Rays 1

Box Score

 

The Twins had a much-needed and rare big win. Zach Larson had a terrific game in his rehab from his hamstring injury. He was 3-4 with a walk, and he stole his first base. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with two walks and his first triple of the year. He also threw out of base runner at home. Joel Polanco went 2-5 with two RBI.

 

Lefty Brandon Easton improved to 2-1. He gave up just one run on six hits and a walk over the first five innings. He struck out six. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched a perfect inning. Zack Jones had his best outing. He struck out two in a perfect inning. Leonel Zazueta struck out two over the final two innings.

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – JD Williams, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Durham @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer

Bowie @ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Pat Dean

St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Steven Gruver

Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) – TBD

Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth

GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games.

 

A quick reminder:

 

Thanks to the Twins win against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com.

 

Click here to view the article

[Trov]

Here is hoping Buxton will bounce back fully.  I would expect him to take the rest of the season off and start off fresh next year.  Hopefully the concussion does not turn into a lingering problem, but many other players have had bad collisions with concussions and made good returns.

[ScrapTheNickname]

Very upsetting when being out cold with a concussion for "about 10 minutes" is good news.

[DocBauer]

AH COME ON!

[teekz]

Here is hoping Buxton will bounce back fully.  I would expect him to take the rest of the season off and start off fresh next year.  Hopefully the concussion does not turn into a lingering problem, but many other players have had bad collisions with concussions and made good returns.

 

TR has already stated they want him back playing this year.

[Craig Arko]

TR has already stated they want him back playing this year.

 

I expect as soon as he passes the standard concussion protocol.

 

That collision could have easily produced a much more serious neck/spine trauma, along with the concussion. Glad all the tests showed that is not the case.

 

Now I hope he and his family get some time together without the sports paparazzi butting in too much.

Edited August 14, 2014 by CRArko

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

how unlucky can one prospect be?

 

Also, I can't tell from the video, but did either outfielder call the other one off? Buxton looked like he was running hard and Kvasnicka shows up in the frame at the last second... They both seemed 100% focused on the ball.

 

I get a sick feeling watching that clip and seeing the collision and Buxton is just out cold and motionless.

[big dog]

Very sorry about Buxton.  Hope he bounces back quickly.

 

Lots of good news last night.  Free Max Murphy!!! Great to see Oliveros continue his success as well.  74 K's in 55 IP.

 

Oh, and Levi Michael is batting .667 and has stolen two bases per game at AA.  What does he have to do to move up?? I suppose playing a second game for the team isn't unreasonable, as long as he's unpacked and everything.  : )

[gunnarthor]

Are you freaking kidding?   What a wasted ******** season.  God I hope he doesn't have Morneau's concussion.  

[hybridbear]

Here is hoping Buxton will bounce back fully.  I would expect him to take the rest of the season off and start off fresh next year.  Hopefully the concussion does not turn into a lingering problem, but many other players have had bad collisions with concussions and made good returns.

I agree! Concussions are serious. He needs to sit out as long as is necessary. It would be a shame for him to ruin his career with the Twins by trying to come back too soon from a concussion. I had a number of concussions growing up and even though I haven't had a concussion in about 15 years I still have lingering symptoms.

 

 

TR has already stated they want him back playing this year.

I disagree! The Twins need to take it slow with him and let him recover fully. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea for him to take the rest of the season off. He could still participate in "baseball activities" once he's no longer experiencing concussion symptoms but the Twins should not rush him back. I hope that the Twins Front Office & medical staff are smart enough to realize that rushing him back on the field this year could ruin his career.

 

This is very heartbreaking. Keith Law had called Buxton a future perennial MVP candidate. I now fear that his ceiling will be much lower and that he won't end up being that much of an impact player

[twinsfan34]

Man alive. I have no words.

 

Diving wrist injury. Sliding wrist injury. Hit by pitch. Hit by pitch. Hit by pitch. Diving for ball in outfield - concussion and knocked out. And he's only played 30 games!!

 

Get him the Barry Bonds elbow guard, the Jeff Bagwell batting glove guard, and DH him the rest of the year.

 

We already know he's a GG capable defender.

 

Otherwise, shut him down. Get him healthy.

 

And 0-for-3...3 strikeouts. Brutal.

[B Richard]

Amaurys Minier really looks like he is developing better plate discipline and putting together a fine year

[jokin]

Very sorry about Buxton.  Hope he bounces back quickly.

 

Lots of good news last night.  

 

Free Max Murphy!!! 

 

Great to see Oliveros continue his success as well.  74 K's in 55 IP.

 

Oh, and Levi Michael is batting .667 and has stolen two bases per game at AA.  What does he have to do to move up?? I suppose playing a second game for the team isn't unreasonable, as long as he's unpacked and everything.  : )

 

And how about Burdi picking up right where he left off in Cedar Rapids?  (The Mets A+ team is #1 in hitting in the FSL, good first test for him, hopefully he's not in Ft Myers for too long).

 

Does Tyler Duffey need a prospect upgrade?  Is he Brad Radke-lite?  This one has the chance to change my mind on the college-relievers-to-starters strategy.

[teekz]

I agree! Concussions are serious. He needs to sit out as long as is necessary. It would be a shame for him to ruin his career with the Twins by trying to come back too soon from a concussion. I had a number of concussions growing up and even though I haven't had a concussion in about 15 years I still have lingering symptoms.

 

 

What a stupid comment!! The Twins need to take it slow with him and let him recover fully. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea for him to take the rest of the season off. He could still participate in "baseball activities" once he's no longer experiencing concussion symptoms but the Twins should not rush him back. I hope that the Twins Front Office & medical staff are smart enough to realize that rushing him back on the field this year could ruin his career.

 

This is very heartbreaking. Keith Law had called Buxton a future perennial MVP candidate. I now fear that his ceiling will be much lower and that he won't end up being that much of an impact player

 

Just because they said they wanted him back and playing this year, doesn't mean they are going to rush him. If he has any complications I'm sure they are smart enough to shut him down. They have over 2 weeks of the schedule left plus playoffs.  They have also talked about him playing AFL this year. If he doesn't pass the concussion stuff, he won't be cleared to play.

[Seth Stohs]

FYI - Here is a Tweet a few minutes ago from Byron Buxton:

 

 

I greatly appreciate all the support and prayers! I'm very blessed! Please keep Mike Kvasnicka and I in your prayers! #thankful #doingokay

[Mike Sixel]

Burdi clearly has dominant stuff. I expect him in AA early next year, and in MN late next year. 

[drjim]

And how about Burdi picking up right where he left off in Cedar Rapids?  (The Mets A+ team is #1 in hitting in the FSL, good first test for him, hopefully he's not in Ft Myers for too long).

 

Does Tyler Duffey need a prospect upgrade?  Is he Brad Radke-lite?  This one has the chance to change my mind on the college-relievers-to-starters strategy.

 

Baseball America had a good article on Duffy about a month ago promoting him as a sleeper.

 

I would clearly put him after Meyer-Berrios-Stewart-Thorpe, but he might be as good as anyone else.

[drjim]

Also, Duffey was drafted as a reliever and converted to a starter. Maybe the strategy does work!

 

Those sneaky Twins, taking advantage of market inefficiencies in the draft.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Nice tweet, glad he is doing ok.

 

Curtiss trying to move from RP to SP this year...looks to be doing well.

[DocBauer]

Is bubble wrap illegal?

 

I mean seriously, how much more cam happen to one poor kid in a single season? I feel I want to re-visit Nick's article on bad luck just in regard to Buxton solely.

 

I have to say, my first instinct is to just shut him down for the rest of the season. And perhaps they still will. We still know so little about concussions, their affects, treatments, degrees, etc. Twins, between Koskie and Morneau alone have suffered as much as anyone. It does appear that like other injuries, there are degrees of severity, and with each player/person being their own unique physical specimen, it also appears to have different affect as well. Should he recover quickly with no ill affects, I guess I can see the wisdom in still getting a little time in before the season ends as a jumping board to the AFL.

[DocBauer]

I know it's way, way too early to really address this past June draft, but as some have commented on here about it, I think it's fair to say that thus far, it's looking very good so far.

 

I hate to say it, but Gordon might be better than expected, with a skill set that might be higher than the scores I read on his 20-80 scale.

 

Burdi looks like the real deal. I agree he's in AA next year, whether immediately, or shortly after a dip in the Ft Meyers pool. The majors might not be out of the question at some point in 2015.

 

Curtiss looks good so far, his last start more so. Not fully converting to a SP role as he did start some at Texas did he not?

 

Max Murphy has been very impressive as well.

 

Mental blank, who is the other reliever doing so well? From Oregon, yes?

[Beezer07]

If Buxton clears the concussion protocols and feels like he can play well, there's no reason to keep him off the field. i.e., if he's healthy, he should play.

[jokin]

I know it's way, way too early to really address this past June draft, but as some have commented on here about it, I think it's fair to say that thus far, it's looking very good so far. I hate to say it, but Gordon might be better than expected, with a skill set that might be higher than the scores I read on his 20-80 scale. Burdi looks like the real deal. I agree he's in AA next year, whether immediately, or shortly after a dip in the Ft Meyers pool. The majors might not be out of the question at some point in 2015. Curtiss looks good so far, his last start more so. Not fully converting to a SP role as he did start some at Texas did he not? Max Murphy has been very impressive as well. Mental blank, who is the other reliever doing so well? From Oregon, yes?

 

Jake Reed.  Also, 4 year college guy Matt Batts is surprising a lot of people (7 Ks, 1 ER in 6 IP tonight)