Article: What Do The Twins Have In Aaron Hicks?

[Trevor0333]

You have to roll with a Rosario/Buxton/Hicks with 4thOF as Arcia next year. 

 

Hicks & Buxton in for every LHSP while mixing and matching them vs RHSP with Rosario & Arcia.

 

If they can get value for some of the out of options guys clustering OF & 1B/DH spots its hard to see them not making a move or 2 to clear space.

 

 

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

"as for dismissing Hicks 35 good games (compared to how many awful games) and Plouffe's hot vs cold streaks, I don't know, one of them has actually been good over a whole season, and one has only been good for 35 games out of his career (give or take). I'd think it is reasonable to say one of these is not like the other yet." - I was thinking the same thing Mike. Plouffe is streaky but for three seasons his body of work has been pretty similar, season to season.

With Plouffe, you can pretty much bank on a .750 OPS for a decent to good fielding and durable 3b.

 

Can't bank on Hicks yet, but I hope the Twins give him another shot out of ST.

[Dantes929]

I have been a proponent of Hicks/Arcia platoon for quite some time.   Arcia's defensive liabilities and Hicks diminished playing time because of the majority of right handed pitchers abated somewhat by replacing Arcia with Hicks in late innings when appropriate.    I would be ok with Hicks/Kepler as well.   If anyone protests on the basis of it blocking everyday potential of any of those I say so what?   These guys are being paid a ton of money and the Twins should do what is best for the Twins.   I would be just fine with a platoon for the next several years.  

Despite his struggles Hicks maintains a .808 OPS  against lefties.   Of course a big if is Arcia (who I picked to click this year) can regain his form against righties.   I would be just fine with a platoon OPS of .8075.

[Jham]

I can't imagine Arcia was healthy.  I think he wanted to get back to the bigs to help the club on it's wild card run.  I'm guessing the trainers told him he couldn't injure his back worse, so he tried to fight through.  I'm guessing he comes back and mashes like almost always again this spring.  I'm guessing.

 

Hicks was incapable of even a 5 week hot streak in prior years.  He has most certainly progressed.  I've always said his CF defense is overrated.  I think he's a perfect part time player.  Can take professional at bats, can swing for the fences, solid defensive player with range and arm to play all positions.  By far his biggest problem is balls over his head.  Well, he wouldn't have to worry about that with the wall in right...  Rosario should probably be moved into the infield or two a team for trade value at this point.  

[sane]

 

 

 By far his biggest problem is balls over his head.  Well, he wouldn't have to worry about that with the wall in right...  

He'd still have to worry....about rebounds off the rightfield wall hitting him in the head!

[Jham]

 

He'd still have to worry....about rebounds off the rightfield wall hitting him in the head!

 

That's true.  And Hicks doesn't have the protective layer of mohawk that Rosario and Arcia have...

[Linus]

At this point I would hang onto Hicks until Buxton is ready. I'm hopeful that we will have better corner outfield choices meaning Hicks eventual best use is a trade chip as a centerfielder

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

My prediction on the first day of the off-season was that Arcia gets a last shot in right field, while Hicks starts the season in center, with Buxton and Kepler cooling their heels in Rochester. I just don't think the club wants to give up on Arcia (nor should they) and I do think that some AAA time will benefit Buxton.

 

This.  I think it's the right approach.  You cannot give up on either.  Part of the frustrating things about a young team is these types of things. 

[Secondary User]

 

 

It was painfully demonstrated that Buxton is over-matched at the MLB level.  Combine that with a huge incentive for the Twins to reduce his service time in 2016 to obtain greater control it is axiomatic that Buxton starts, and remains, in Rochester until both the service time and "proofing time" contstraints have been achieved.  Kepler will also start in the minors for reasons "learned" from Hicks and Buxton major-league "success".  All of this points to the Twins actively trying to retain Hunter--for 1/2 of a season!  

 

"Heck....if they never call up Buxton, he'll never get to free agency"

 

Paraphrasing Gleeman

[ashbury]

"Heck....if they never call up Buxton, he'll never get to free agency"

 

Paraphrasing Gleeman

Tell that to Danny Ortiz.

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

 

 

It was painfully demonstrated that Buxton is over-matched at the MLB level.  Combine that with a huge incentive for the Twins to reduce his service time in 2016 to obtain greater control it is axiomatic that Buxton starts, and remains, in Rochester until both the service time and "proofing time" contstraints have been achieved. 

If Buxton is in AAA, how long do they need to keep him down in order to achieve any service time saving? 

[sane]

 

If Buxton is in AAA, how long do they need to keep him down in order to achieve any service time saving? 

•172 service days = 1 service year
•Players max out at 172 service days/year; seasons usually have 183 service days
•Players needs six full years of service to reach free agency
•Players need about 2.130 years of service to reach arbitration

 

So players are often kept in the minors long enough, so that they do not use up a full service year. (172 days)

[Willihammer]

Buxton was recalled first on 6/14, then DL'ed for the thumb (head first slide) on 6/25 (11 days).

Activated in July and optioned to AAA. Recalled for the 2nd time on 8/19 where he remained for the rest of the season (46 days). So 57 days total.

 

The Twins start 2016 on Apr 4, so Buxton would need to stay in AAA until at least June 1 to push his first FA season back to 2022. That assumes he isn't optioned again after his recall.

 

Keeping him in Rochester until July 10 would delay arbitration until 2019, assuming the Super 2 cutoff is 2.130 days. And again assuming he isn't optioned again.

 

Is that correct?

Edited October 20, 2015 by Willihammer

[Kwak]

 

If Buxton is in AAA, how long do they need to keep him down in order to achieve any service time saving? 

 

 

•172 service days = 1 service year
•Players max out at 172 service days/year; seasons usually have 183 service days
•Players needs six full years of service to reach free agency
•Players need about 2.130 years of service to reach arbitration

 

So players are often kept in the minors long enough, so that they do not use up a full service year. (172 days)

It appears that to limit Buxton's service time he would need to stay in the minors next season for 10days plus the number of service days accumulated in 2015.  

[stringer bell]

Buxton's time on the DL is major league service time. I believe he has somewhere around 92 days of service. The arbitration number is based on a certain percentage of players between two and three years of service and changes each year. The 2.130 is an estimate, I'm guessing the number will be closer to 2.140.

[Mike Sixel]

So, if they are going to worry about FA timing......they need to sit him for more than half the year? Oh boy, that should be fun on these boards.

 

OTOH, Ryan has pretty much ignored that, as far as I can tell, so I'm not sure it matters.

[dxpavelka]

 

Rosario-Buxton-Hicks. Any other OF is indefensible.

Especially if your goal is to have an OF that combines for 35 home runs next year.

[Vanimal46]

Let's hope TR ignores the service time dilemma and calls him up whenever he's deemed ready. IMO keeping Buxton down until mid July in order to push back his first FA year is not worth the cost.

[Willihammer]

I see several benefits to keeping Buxton in AAA.

 

1. It would mean the MLB OFers are relatively healthy/productive

2. Weaker competition would boost Buxton's production/confidence and make it more likely his next callup is his last.

3. Bonus of passing FA and Arbitration cutoffs would save money / increase length of team control

4. The sum of these 3 could make him an excellent trade chip prior to the Jul 31 deadline, should the Twins find themselves in contention again.

[Vanimal46]

It's nice to look at it from a positive angle on keeping him down. I won't dive deep into the negative of Buxton being down in AAA that long. Let's just say if it's for negative reasons instead of positive, we have a much bigger issue to deal with.

[notoriousgod71]

Platooning Hicks and Arcia makes so much sense that it will ever happen. Arcia can start against right handed pitchers and get his 3-4 AB. Hicks can pinch run or be defensive replacement in a late innings lead situation and start against lefties, leaving Arcia available to PH for any number of our light hitters.

 

Basically how we used Gomez/Kubel late in 2009.

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

 

It appears that to limit Buxton's service time he would need to stay in the minors next season for 10days plus the number of service days accumulated in 2015.  

That seems seems like an awfully long time to keep him down in the minors next year, IF he is hitting and healthy, and or, if we are having struggles in the OF in the majors. I DO think it would be wise to let him start the season, so that we can play Hicks, Rosario, and Arcia to start the year. We need to see if any of those guys have improved or regressed. Everyone one of them has at least one major offensive flaw that could drag them down next year. Hicks can't hit 70% of SP's, Rosario is allergic to walking, and Arcia is an enigma at this point. The could all come out an mash, or they could all succumb to their negative flaws.

[Minniman]

What has Buxton done at the major league level to show he can hit?

 

Hicks was working on it and could hit from one side. With our luck, the Yankees will insist Hicks only hits from the right side and he improves to a .290 overall hitter with an .800 OPS.