Andrew McCutchen, who Twins fans will get a good look at the next two games, seems to be the player most-often brought up when talking about the potential of Byron Buxton.    Would Twins fans be happy if that's what Buck pans out to be?    Pretty sure I'd be elated with that.

 

Andrew McCutchen, who Twins fans will get a good look at the next two games, seems to be the player most-often brought up when talking about the potential of Byron Buxton.    Would Twins fans be happy if that's what Buck pans out to be?    Pretty sure I'd be elated with that.

 

You'd have to be a moron not to be elated if Buxton turned out to be McCutchen.

McCutchen will end his age 28 season with ~38-ish career WAR.

 

Anyone who wouldn't take that from Buxton is insane.

McCutchen is on pace for a hall of fame career. I would be quite ok with that for Mr. Buxton.

I think he'd be pretty good.

Ummm.........yes?

 

That's the correct answer, right?

 

Ummm.........yes?

 

That's the correct answer, right?

I kinda thought so, but wanted to bounce it off you guys as I rarely, if ever, watch the National League.

He might be the best all around player in baseball not named Trout.

 

He might be the best all around player in baseball not named Trout.

He'd get my vote.

He needs to stay on the field or all his talent and future is wasted.

Andrew McCutchen: Minor League career: .286/.362/.423 (.785), 22 3B, 43 HR, and 105 SB in 511 games.

 

Byron Buxton: Minor League career: .296/.380/.486 (.866), 36 3B, 27 HR and 92 SB in 263 games.

 

So it looks like Buxton has had the better minor league numbers, especially when it comes to speed- 14 more triples and nearly the same amount of stolen bases in about half the amount of games. Let's just hope Buxton can stay healthy.

 

If Buxton becomes 90% of McCutchen I would be pretty happy.

I don't think Buxton will post any .950 OPS seasons, like McCutchen has done twice. 

 

I do think he's faster and could be a better fielder/base stealer though. 

 

Andrew McCutchen, who Twins fans will get a good look at the next two games, seems to be the player most-often brought up when talking about the potential of Byron Buxton.    Would Twins fans be happy if that's what Buck pans out to be?    Pretty sure I'd be elated with that.

 

I'd be thrilled!

His base stealing technique seems designed for injuring himself, and he hasn't shown much power at the plate, but I like Byron Buxton anyway. Good speed, good glove, strong, accurate arm. He does have a nice swing, and a nice smile. McCutchen has much longer hair, so I'd wait a while on the comparisons.

Let's watch McCutch over the next couple days and just imagine it is Buxton and not McCutchen and he is actually playing for the Twins and not the Pirates. So if McCutchen hits any home runs or anything in this series, it will count for the Twins? 

 

Either way, I think everybody agrees. That would quite nearly be the best possible outcome as of right now: Actually being on the field and playing at the caliber of AM

 

Andrew McCutchen, who Twins fans will get a good look at the next two games, seems to be the player most-often brought up when talking about the potential of Byron Buxton.    Would Twins fans be happy if that's what Buck pans out to be?    Pretty sure I'd be elated with that.

 

Same here, but it is not a very good comparison.  At age 22 McCutchen had a .830 OPS in the bigs and never looked back.  Buxton has another year to catch up, but his debut has not been exactly ground shaking...

 

The more and more I am looking at Buxton, the more I think somewhere between Vince Coleman and Jose Reyes.  He does not have the power or the hit tool of McCutchen.  Could he develop it?  Who knows.

Same here, but it is not a very good comparison. At age 22 McCutchen had a .830 OPS in the bigs and never looked back. Buxton has another year to catch up, but his debut has not been exactly ground shaking...

 

The more and more I am looking at Buxton, the more I think somewhere between Vince Coleman and Jose Reyes. He does not have the power or the hit tool of McCutchen. Could he develop it? Who knows.

Buxton has a higher XBH per PA ratio in the minors than McCutchen did. He also has a higher BA, OBP, and much higher OPS than McCutchen did in MiLB.

 

Whatever tools McCutchen had at age 21, Byron has as well (and probably more so). That doesn't mean Buxton is a shoe-in for the HoF but you're grossly underselling his abilities. There's a reason why Byron was the consensus #1 prospect in baseball for the better part of two years and it's due to a lot more than Byron's absurd speed tool.

 

Buxton has a higher XBH per PA ratio in the minors than McCutchen did. He also has a higher BA, OBP, and much higher OPS than McCutchen did in MiLB.

Whatever tools McCutchen had at age 21, Byron has as well (and probably more so). That doesn't mean Buxton is a shoe-in for the HoF but you're grossly underselling his abilities. There's a reason why Byron was the consensus #1 prospect in baseball for the better part of two years and it's because of a lot more than Byron's absurd speed tool.

 

Let's agree to disagree, and we shall see.   There is a reason that I ranked Buxton as the number 3 Twins' prospect last off-season.  I think that he is using his speed (which is better than McCutchen's) to get a lot of those base hits and doubles and triples.  His hit tool needs a lot of work and I am not sure that it will end up being better than Coleman's.  Of course he needs to quit hurting himself to play...

 

We shall see. 

 

Edited July 29, 201511 yr by Thrylos

Let's agree to disagree, and we shall see. There is a reason that I ranked Buxton as the number 3 Twins' prospect last off-season. I think that he is using his speed (which is better than McCutchen's) to get a lot of those base hits and doubles and triples. His hit tool needs a lot of work and I am not sure that it will end up being better than Coleman's. Of course he needs to quit hurting himself to play...

 

We shall see.

Well, Byron can't leg out a home run and he has a slightly higher HR rate than McCutchen did in the minors.

 

Again, that doesn't mean Buxton is Cooperstown-bound but you're vastly underrating his tool set.

 

Well, Byron can't leg out a home run and he has a slightly higher HR rate than McCutchen did in the minors.
 

 

No way   Apples with apples:  

 

Buxton's career high in HRs was 12 in a full season (matter of fact his only full season) between A and A+ (574 PA age 19)

Same age between A and AA (huge diff from A+) in a full season (590 PA) McCutchen had 17.  That is 1.5x Buxton's rate.

 

Then at age 20 McCutchen had 11 between AA and AAA.  (570 PA)  Buxton has only 271 career AA PA (and 6 HRs) and zip career AAA PA.

 

Not sure where you got your numbers, but they don't add up

Edited July 29, 201511 yr by Thrylos

Buxton has a homer roughly every 43 MiLB PAs.

 

McCutchen had a homer roughly every 52 MiLB PAs.

 

Let's agree to disagree, and we shall see.   There is a reason that I ranked Buxton as the number 3 Twins' prospect last off-season.  I think that he is using his speed (which is better than McCutchen's) to get a lot of those base hits and doubles and triples.  His hit tool needs a lot of work and I am not sure that it will end up being better than Coleman's.  Of course he needs to quit hurting himself to play...

 

We shall see. 

Didn't you also rank Burdi as "the best RH relief pitcher in the Twins organization, majors or minors" this past spring?

 

Or am I misremembering that?

 

Didn't you also rank Burdi as "the best RH relief pitcher in the Twins organization, majors or minors" this past spring?

 

Or am I misremembering that?

 

He was.  Until they messed up with his delivery this spring.  Still has the best RH arm in the organization, as far as relievers go. 

 

 

Buxton has a homer roughly every 43 MiLB PAs.

McCutchen had a homer roughly every 52 MiLB PAs.

 

 

Apples with apples.  Compare levels and ages. 

 

Apples with apples.  Compare levels and ages. 

That's pretty hard to do when they haven't played at the same levels.

 

You're making the stats fit your predetermined viewpoint. I'm not the one making outlandish claims about Buxton's talent level by suggesting his "hit tool" isn't great, despite the fact stats quite clearly indicate he's on a similar plane to McCutchen (and pretty much every scout on the planet disagreeing with you about Byron's hit tool).

 

And seriously, Vince Coleman? The guy who hit 28 MLB home runs (6000 PAs) and didn't hit a single MiLB home run until he was in AAA? I remember Vince Coleman quite clearly, as he was one of my favorite players of the 80s.

 

Byron Buxton is nothing like Vince Coleman.

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Can't like the above post enough...