TwinsGuy55422

I agree that he has made adjustments and I give him credit for that. I just don't think you can say the incidents from 4 or 5 years ago are irrelevant or "outdated" as you say. You cannot tell me that a violent collision with a teammate a few years back might not be related to his migraines last year or his concussion like symptoms this year. I also don't think you can tell me that a guy hurting his wrist simply swinging a bat last year might not be related to previous wrist injuries from aggressive slides into bases and dives for balls in the outfield. The counter argument is always you can't take away a guy's aggressiveness or you reduce his value and play making ability. While Buxton has done a lot to tone things down, will it be enough to keep the cumulative effects of his concussions and other injuries from putting him out of the game before the age of 30 ? I mean seriously, he could start having recurring concussion symptoms from just running after a flyball in the outfield. Then what? This is why I think his past reckless habits are still part of the discussion and not just misguided venting.

Very well written article but I think there is a little more to the story. Let's go back a few more years to Buxton's very first game at the AA level where he collided with a teammate so hard he missed an extended period of time due to a concussion. It was a really reckless play in my opinion and frankly a scary one to watch. Might that play have contributed to the migraines you mentioned last year and the concussion against the Indians this year? Then there's the manner in which he slides into bases. If you go back further than your two-season window, I am quite positive he has missed time in both the minors and at the MLB level sliding head first into bases so hard it just looked like a recipe for a broken wrist. As a previous poster mentioned, there have definitely been a few times where he ran into the wall and didn't land on the IL but rather missed a few games as a precaution. I also wonder about the cumulative effect of hittimg the wall and/or the ground so many times over the years. I am not an athletic trainer but might a series of jarring hits (even ones that didn't cause injury at the time) gradually damage his shoulder leading to the current subluxation that is probably going to cost him at least a month?

I have caught probably 20 or some batting practice homerun balls over the years. I have also caught 3 in-game balls. The first was in Kansas City in 2012. Alexi Casilla recorded the third out of an inning and threw the ball to me as he was running off the field. Then in 2013 at Target Field, I caught a foul ball down the first baseline hit by Chris Parmelee against the Phillies. Later that summer, I caught a homerun ball in left field hit by Alexei Ramirez of the White Sox. Despite the peer pressure, I could not bring myself to throw the ball back.

To piggyback on the AJ Barker idea, you could do something about the infamous "mom's best friend" quote. That was priceless.

I hope Gardy took his blood pressure meds!

It's obviously all in his head. He just needs a win to know he can do it and he belongs on a major league roster. Once he relaxes a little, I would think that he can have the same success he had in Rochester. I would tend to agree. He clearly has the stuff to pitch up here. He just seems to be pressing. I would imagine that one good outing would really help his confidence and just let him focus on pitching.

The ump does seem to be giving some on the outside corner but he definitely does not seem to want to call the strike at the knees.

Good second inning for Stifler. Way to help your pitcher Pedro!

Way to field your position, Liam!

Sounds good to me. I don't think these rules are too restrictive. There are always going to be people who need spelled out for them what should be common sense.

I would say the 6-man rotation sounds good. I want to see as much of these guys as possible and see what we have going forward. I really hope that Hendriks can figure things out be I think he has the tools to be reliable starter for several years. Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about Vasquez but I would really like to see what he can do if given an opportunity. I should be an interesting month to say the least.

I guess I don't understand this question. You seem to be saying Diamond needs to be on a good team to be an ace. In other words, he can't be an ace because the Twins aren't good. Is that it? So by extension Felix Hernandez is not an ace because he's on the Mariners? I don't understand why Diamond could not be an ace on the Twins. Is the implication that if Diamond were on a 'good team' he would not be the number one starter? If so, isn't that because most good teams already have an ace? Just to show you how hard this question can get--who's the ace on the Phillies? Or since the Phillies are not a good team this year, then they don't have an ace this year? I know when we think 'ace' we think of power pitchers that get a lot of strikeouts and dominate opponents--Verlander, Jered Weaver, Strasburg. So R.A. Dickey, at 15-4, more strikeouts than IP's and a 2.89 ERA is not an ace? Zach Greinke was an ace on the Brewers but now that he's on the Angels he's not? I think what we need is a consensus definition of what makes a pitcher an ace. I don't think there really is a consensus definition of an "ace." I don't think he was saying that you have to be on a good team to be an ace. I think he was referring to an ace of the staff as being the best pitcher in the rotation and that if, and when, the Twins contend again Diamond is not going to be the best starting pitcher in the rotation.

Doumit trying to hit one to Moses Lake.

Josh comes through with a smash. It's starting to get interesting.

Nice jack, Joe. Maybe Willingham can follow it up!