12:55pm: It “sounds like” Buxton is slated to undergo surgery this afternoon, tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North 1500 AM.
12:25pm: The Twins have been playing without Byron Buxton in a full-time capacity since Aug. 1 thanks to a shoulder injury, and manager Rocco Baldelli indicated today on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the organization is “bracing” for the news that Buxton won’t return in 2019 (Twitter link, with audio).
“Surgery is an option here,” said Baldelli after relaying that Buxton saw a specialist in California this week. “We’re basically sitting down and bracing for the realization that this could be his season ending right now. We basically are going to see what it looks like going forward. ’Buck’ is an enormous part of what we do here. The contributions he makes on the field are fantastic, obviously — he’s one of the best defenders in the world. That being said, the energy he brings and the lift that he brings to the team is also huge.”
Buxton indeed ranks as one of the premier defenders in the sport, regardless of position. His 10 Defensive Runs Saved rank sixth among Major League center fielders despite having played fewer innings than anyone ahead of him, and his overall Ultimate Zone Rating (+8.8) ranks 10th among all fielders at any position. He also places fourth in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric (+12) despite fewer chances than the three players ahead of him: Victor Robles, Kevin Kiermaier and Lorenzo Cain. Of course, the reckless abandon with which Buxton plays the outfield both contributes to his penchant for rangy, highlight-reel plays and puts him at greater risk for injury; his current shoulder subluxation was sustained when crashing into the center field wall at Marlins Park more than a month ago.
Beyond his defensive prowess, Buxton has enjoyed some pronounced improvement at the plate. In 295 plate appearances, he’s turned in a .262/.313/.513 slash with 10 home runs, 30 doubles, four triples and 14 stolen bases (in 17 attempts). Buxton’s speed has allowed him to rack up more doubles than singles (27) on the season, and his 23.1 percent strikeout rate is down nearly seven percent from a season ago. In all, he’s been worth 2.7 wins above replacement, per Fangraphs, and 3.2 WAR, per Baseball-Reference, in less than a half season’s worth of plate appearances. Needless to say, his loss absence has been profoundly felt by the Twins.
If Buxton is indeed lost for the year, Baldelli suggests that Max Kepler will continue to man center field on a regular basis for Minnesota. That’s a drop-off from a defensive standpoint, but perhaps not to the extent one would think. Kepler has been strong in center himself this season (+4 DRS, +3.1 UZR in 452 innings), and he’s tied for 13th among 93 qualified outfielders with seven outs above average, per Statcast. Losing Buxton fotr the balance of the 2019 season and postseason would likely mean mixing and matching with Jake Cave, Marwin Gonzalez and LaMonte Wade Jr. in right field, with Eddie Rosario continuing as the primary left fielder.
Buxton’s bounceback season at the dish will surely benefit him in arbitration this winter, when he’ll be due for a raise on this year’s $1.75MM salary. However, his general lack of plate appearances and another season truncated by injury will also prevent him from maximizing his earnings in that process. The Twins control Buxton through the 2022 season.
Even if he could play defense that’s a win for us because he can’t hit rn
Buxton needs to learn how to stop running into walls at full speed.
If he does, maybe he can teach Clint Frazier.
The Twins should see what they can get for Buxton this winter.
Yeah…cuz that worked so well for us with Denard Span, Ben Revere, and Aaron Hicks
It’s time to cut the cord with this guy. I don’t care if he makes the 10 best plays you ever see in an MLB game going forward, fact is the Twins would have been better off with Span, Hicks or maybe even Revere these past few years, but kept waiting for the “savior'” to blossom and thus moved all those guys. I’m really sick of his so-called potential, as I seriously doubt he will ever be an offensive threat and he seems to have more interest in making highlight reel plays in the field regardless of game situation than staying healthy and using common sense.. Although if a .242 hitter who gives you 110 games a season and forces a lot of roster moves while you deal with his various maladies is the way to go,, then the Twins are set.
He was actually having a pretty solid year, .260 with 10 home runs from a guy who plays amazing defense is pretty good. Look at a guy like Ozzie Smith. Played amazing defense but was a career .260 hitter and never hit more than 6 hr’s in a season, yet he’s a HOFer. I think most teams would definitely take a mediocre hitting player with an amazing glove in one of the most important positions in baseball
Different time, different place.
I don’t think anybody was saying Buxton was poor when he was actually playing this year… it’s the “when he was playing” part that’s an every year issue.
Span and Revere were traded the year after Buxton was drafted. Their trades had nothing to do with Buxton. They tried to get pitching, which they were desperate for at the time (still need it/always need it)
And with Hicks, they were probably tired of waiting for him to develop, which turned out to be a mistake.
Span and Revere were certainly traded with Buxton in mind. Twins were rebuilding, and figured their best bargaining chips were existing CFs. Span led the NL in hits the year after leaving the Twins and Revere did the same the second year gone. Span was traded for a single minor league pitcher who never panned out. I really don;t mind the Revere trade too much, since the guy couldn’t throw and Twins got two decent arms. Hicks being traded was an absolute disaster–John Ryan Murphy? You kidding me? The guy once hit a mammoth HR against the Twins to beat them so they must have figured he was Mike Piazza. Total bust, and responsible for the single biggest boneheaded play I ever saw a Twins player make in an extra inning win turned into loss to Washington..
They traded those players so Hicks could be the guy in CF and to get the pitching they needed which didn’t work out too well. You don’t, and they didn’t, trade most of their current OF for a guy years away from playing a game in MLB (at the time).
That’s like saying the Twins will trade most of their SS this offseason because they just drafted Cavaco this year (a pick I didn’t like).
Maybe they should learn from their mistakes.
Top 5 most overrated players in baseball!
Earned the Platinum Glove in 2017 and would win it every year … if he stayed healthy. That’s not overrated, that’s factual.
If he learns to bunt and ran more on the bases, he could be hall of fame material.
He should study some Judo or something like that to learn how to avoid injury better when he’s hitting the ground or walls
Your first paragraph is what was said about Carlos Gomez when he was there.
It takes more than defense to be a great baseball player. He is not a good hitter.
How much body armor is a player allowed to wear in a game?
For example, a nice Gambeson tunic might do Byron wonders.
Falvey should really be thinking about packaging Buxton and a couple decent pitching prospects for 1 year of Betts, not only for a legit shot a WS title, but also the chance to become the favorite in the sweepstakes for his services after the 2020 season.
lol
The Red Sox already have a dynamite defensive F that can’t hit.
Twins should hold on dearly to anyone close to being called a pitching prospect, and as good as Betts is, offense is not the Twins’ greatest need. Understood that he is a fine all-around player (Betts, not Buxton), but Twins can’t afford to pay him what he’ll want and will get. I would send him to the NL for whatever decent starting pitching you can get.
Over the last 20 years in the majors, there have been dozens of CF’s that can field at gold glove caliber, but can’t hit. Got one in St. Louis today. Typically they got traded to a team that thought they could straighten them out. Never happens.
Add on 2 considerations to your scenario….
1. The NL does not have a DH. Consequently, teams have short benches. When the rosters expand by a player in 2020, it will be for a pitcher.
2. Buxton is fragile and has missed parts of seasons in both the majors and minors. Teams are not lining up to give up anyone decent for him.
3. Name an NL team that needs a defensive CF that doubles as a pinch runner…..and keep in mind that Billy Hamilton is a free agent again this year, so a team doesn’t have to give up anything to get him.
I do not dispute point 2– that is why he needs to go in the first place. And I did say get what you can in terms of decent pitching. While I have not scoured Nl rosters, Milwaukee could use Buxton as an upgrade to Cain, especially going forward. Despite his weaknesses at the plate Buxton does have more HR and RBI now than Cain in a little more than half the ABS. Philly and even Washington don’t strike me as immovable on their CFs either. The trick is to sell this “potential” angle that the Twins have swallowed– Buxton ony turns 26 this off season.
Cain is locked in for three more years. Not likely they’re moving on from him anytime soon.
I don’t think you follow baseball…..
Robles is a superstar to be. His WAR this year is higher then Bryce Harper, and he’s getting better every day. Defense as good as Buxton, one of the strongest and most accurate OF arms in MLB (throws just under 100 MPH, 12 assists so far this year), speed, hits, and hits with power. In short, he is what Buxton was supposed to be. (Resembles Roberto Clemente a lot.)
Phillies need a CF, but Haseley may be it. As noted above, Brewers have a commitment to Cain – who overall is a better defensive CF then Buxton.
Anyone who believes the Red Sox would trade Mookie Betts for Byron Buxton has no right to tell someone they don’t follow baseball. Anyone who thinks Lorenzo Cain is a better all around defensive OF than Byron Buxton is a fool. Also, Brewers may have a 3-year deal with Cain, but that doesn’t mean they’re “committed” to the now 33 year old.
Robles easily could be moved back to LF, and by the way Buxton throws 99+ also. We’ll see if he (or Buxton either for that matter) develops power or if this is just a year of the juiced ball thing–he hasn’t hit double figures before this year. BTW,I did not pigeonhole any Buxton/Nats trade either–merely commented that he could fit there.. But hey, go ahead and report back when the rumors of the Betts to MN trade make it anywhere other than in your mind.