Buxton’s Back: Was No Rehab a Mistake?

I think some of these rehab assignments are ridiculous.  I can understand missing well over a month of baseball games but for a guy out 10 days even three weeks, get him back in the game.  We are starting to see more players coming off the DL and going right back to work with their major league team.  

Buxton is unusual in the fact his defensive skills are so much better than an average outfielder.  I'd rather see him playing right away than sitting in AAA.  I can't stomach another game with Grossman patrolling the outfield.   

My only point with the age is that he has time to figure it out.  Sure, there's a long list of young players that took off immediately.  Not everyone does.  Everyone has their own learning curve.  Comparing anyone to generational greats and then expecting them to live up to it is setting yourself up for disappointment.  Frankly, it's unfair to the player.  The vast majority of players never even sniff that level talent. There's an even longer list of players that have enormous potential and never realize it.  That's what makes the generational greats so rare.  

I understand and your points are good.  I just do not want to use age as a factor.  The pub he got when he first was signed made him seem like a Trout or Griffey and they jumped right in.  Buxton is an interesting case and I wonder what coach or changes will be needed to turn the corner for him. 

Did Buxton not hit .253 last year?  Since when did becoming Kris Bryant, Bryce Harper, or Mike Trout be come the barometer of an impactful player.  

 

Buxton struggles to make consistent contact and is probably always going to struggle to do so.  Further, injuries have pretty consistently kept him from being able to really get in a rhythm playing long stretches of games healthily--which obviously isn't a positive.  Buxton had a similar type slump in his first 50-80 ABs last year and hit pretty close to .270 for the remaining 90% of the season.  

 

Buxton's gonna be a streaky hitter who struggles to hit for a high average, strikes out a lot, and because of this go through periods where he slumps hard.  That doesn't mean that over a full 162 game season he isn't going to be a productive player.  His speed and feel for base-running and his ability to drive balls and find gaps when he does make contact mean that he makes a bunch of positive plays too.  

 

His 162 game pace last year put him at 80 runs, 17 2Bs, 7 3Bs, 19 HRs, 60 RBIs, 35 SBs.  I use the 162 game pace to just show his impact on a per game basis in a similar way to how the NBA lists player stats as 25 points per game/8 assists per game/etc. and players are judged that way even if they only play 65 games.  (Not discounting that health is a concern)  Those numbers were largely from hitting near the bottom of the order too.  

 

Is that Mike Trout?  No, but that level of offensive production combined with the value his defense brings to a team put him somewhere between a top 15 and top 25 player in terms of WAR for position players. 

 

I'll take a guy with that kind of impact even with his limitations and the fact that he isn't "Mike Trout or Bryce Harper". 

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I'm pretty excited we have a guy, who's only 24, on the team that can impact the game at that high of a level in his own way.   

I am not saying that Buxton is not going to be a good player, but he has more potential than good.  I just do not want age to be the starting point for debate because I only listed a few of the many players in the majors that are succeeding at high level at his age and they are not just Trout and Harper.  Yes he did bat 253 last year and 209 225 and 186 in the other three.  We need some consistency from him.  Is it too much to expect a player with his ability to start rising to higher levels?  

Let's chill on racking Buxton for now. He's played all of 11 games before last night. For context, before last night Brian Dozier was sporting a .418 OPS in his past 16 games. Guys get hot and get cold, let's not jump to conclusions just yet.

I didn't see where anyone was ripping him.

I get what you are saying about slumps, but Buxton is a sub .700 OPS for his career right now.  People are concerned (and rightly so) about his propensity for injuries and his unreliable bat.  

I am not saying that Buxton is not going to be a good player, but he has more potential than good.  I just do not want age to be the starting point for debate because I only listed a few of the many players in the majors that are succeeding at high level at his age and they are not just Trout and Harper.  Yes he did bat 253 last year and 209 225 and 186 in the other three.  We need some consistency from him.  Is it too much to expect a player with his ability to start rising to higher levels?  

I agree with you.  THis idea that his speed and defense is so marvelous that he makes an impact is all well and good, but I have to be honest about his bat and that is a large part of a position player's game.  HIs bat is just not good.  Period.  I am wondering and waiting when it will come around because his sub .700 career OPS and .230something lifetime average at this point is making me question that part of his game.  Not sure how it is a bad thing or a "negative thing" to discuss this honestly as fans.  Are we to not discuss this because it is "negative"??

  

 

Is that Mike Trout?  No, but that level of offensive production combined with the value his defense brings to a team put him somewhere between a top 15 and top 25 player in terms of WAR for position players. 

 

I'll take a guy with that kind of impact even with his limitations and the fact that he isn't "Mike Trout or Bryce Harper". 

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I'm pretty excited we have a guy, who's only 24, on the team that can impact the game at that high of a level in his own way.   

That's nice, but if we are having a discussion about the offensive part of his game we need to be honest.  I never made the comparison to MIke Trout, but that certainly happened.  Baseball America ranked him the #1 prospect, not me or any poster here.  A lot has been made about him for a bunch of years already and his offense just is not very good.  Can he turn it on and become an above average offensive player?  That is becoming harder and harder to believe for me.

I am concerned about two things:

1.  His approach and results from the batter's box and 2. The mounting of injuries

Is it unreasonable for fans to have a discussion about their concerns on these things?  Are we only suppose to praise him for his speed and simply "accept" this kind of offensive performance?  Not me.  

My feeling would be that Buxton seems to start out about 2 for 50 with 25 K's in any scenario...might as well get it out of the way as fast as possible.  Have to just give him the at-bats even though it's horrifically painful to watch.

 

We're in year year 4 with both Buxton and Sano, and due to injuries and uneven performance, we're still in "need to find out" mode with both.  Frustrating.

I'm also feeling frustrated by Buxton's continuing slow starts and the nagging injuries. I love watching him play center field and run the bases. Not many players can match that excitement. But I'm starting to have my doubts that he'll ever be more than a .250 hitter. Man, I hope I'm wrong about that. But I'm also getting tired of the "he's only 24" excuses for his struggles. It's time for him to make the jump to the next level.

Buxton needs to learn to either hit the curve, or not swing at the curve. As for the question at hand, probably should have just been activated after the migraines. As for the 2nd stint on the DL, I would have rehabbed him and activated him after the LAA series. Great defense is good, but bad offense hurts too. Especially with a teams bottom order of adrianza, a struggling buxton, and bobby Wilson.

I don't see how great defense cancels out a sub .200 bat.  The fact is a player usually makes four or five trips to the plate every game.  They might have a few put outs per game, but almost all of them are fairly routine and there aren't many opportunities for great defenders to make great defensive plays (only THEY can make).  There could be 25 plate appearances (or more) in between those events great plays and even then he is competing against other CFs who can also make great plays.

For him to be a player with a lot of value he is going to need to start hitting.  What he is doing now to start every season is not acceptable.  Something is amiss and he needs to figure out what it is because the all-world speed won't be there as time goes forward.  At that point he will be another fast guy who hits .240 and doesn't get on base.  Unless he becomes a better hitter and that is questionable with what I have seen.

So the conversation has kind of moved on from the original question about Buxton needing some rehab time, but I was just reading this and (unless I'm not understanding it correctly) it makes me think Buxton wouldn't have even been eligible to go on much of a rehab assignment.

 

With approval of the MLB Commissioner, if a player incurs a new (different) injury or illness or suffers a recurrence of the previous injury or illness while on a Minor League Rehab Assignment, the player must be recalled from his Rehab Assignment and remain inactive for at least five days (for position players) or seven days (for pitchers) before starting another Minor League Rehab Assignment.

I guess he still had 1 or 2 days left from his original rehab assignment, but that probably wasn't worth it. And it probably wouldn't have been worth it to recall him, sit him for five days, then send him back on rehab. Might as well get him back in the outfield and hope he catches up to speed with the bat soon. 

I'm rapidly losing faith that Buxton will ever be more than a .220 #9 hitter who plays great defense. What a shame. 

Perhaps he's been listening to Mauer about swinging at the first pitch...

 

/ducks

When you come to this site or even the mlb site for the Twins Buxton is prominently featured in marketing statements.  Even on television he is prominently featured, assumed to be a star.  Bremer, Hunter and whomever else sits in the booth heap accolades on him.  Articles were written about his wonderful talents and amazing potential were for a number of years even after his shaky start.  He was the 2nd pick in the 1st round and was compared to some great players.  Tom Kelly, among other "sages" in the Twins organization professed an unlimited ceiling.  On and on it went...…

Is it any fan's fault to start wondering what the Hell is going on with this guy?  I am being serious.  He doesn't just look bad.  He looks Brian Buchanan bad in some at bats.  So bad, that the speed and defense could hardly justify a place in the batting order any longer.  I never hyped him up or had super high expectations.  I just don't get that way.  I wanted to wait and see what the guy would do as a major leaguer and thus far he has instilled ZERO confidence in me.

I'm going to go on record stating that Buxton turned out to be a gigantic failure. He will likely never have a plus bat at the major league level and that's a franchise crusher from the standpoint that he is a former #1 draft pick and #1 prospect and was expected to be a perennial all-star.

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YOu are correct about that and I will take it a little further.....

No fan should be accused of "buying the hype".  Whether anyone did or didn't means absolutely nothing.

What is important is that it is 2018 and just about anyone associated with this team had big expectations for this kid by now.  It isn't your fault or any other fan's fault that he is playing well below expectations.

I think a big thing with Buxton is the psychological part of the game.  He is almost deferential out there.  Kind of like he is still in the apprentice stage.

It’s probably good for all of us to remember that some scouts questioned the upside of his bat right from the beginning and maintained that stance even when he was raking in the minors.

Probably also worth reiterating that he doesn’t have to be a league average hitter to be a good player. If he’s within 10% of that, he’s a good player. If he’s an OPS+ 95 guy, he’s basically Paul Blair...a near perennial all-star. Hype aside, that would be a good outcome even for a number two pick.