June 29, 2015
Gleeman and The Geek #201: Sexy Beasts
Topics for this week's "Gleeman and The Geek" episode included Byron Buxton's injury and the curse of the elite Twins prospect, Aaron Hicks' re-opened window, Alex Meyer's debut as a reliever, Ervin Santana joining the rotation soon, Danny Santana vs. Eduardo Escobar vs. Eduardo Nunez, Deolis Guerra finally getting to the majors, Ron Gardenhire possibly in Philadelphia, the best Twins leadoff men of all time, and the meaning of being a Sexy Beast.
Gleeman and The Geek: Episode 201
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If you compare the way Byron Buxton plays with the way Eddie Rosario plays, you can see that Rosario “plays within himself,” which means he understands when and how to slide rather than dive, and to roll off a wall rather than smash into it, etc. The result is that I can predict with great confidence that Rosario is much less likely to hurt himself than is Buxton.
Same goes for other players that know how to “play within themselves,” including Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, or superstars like Mike Trout, who despite having speed like Buxton, has the extra skill of knowing how to roll with the punches instead of taking direct hits.
I joked over at Twins Daily that Buxton needs Judo lessons, but it’s not really a joke. Buxton today is like a young boxer that hasn’t learned any defense. You can’t leave your chin out there to be punched, and a baseball player can’t slide headfirst into second base without gloves. Fingers may be small, but if you break one, you’re not much good to the team. Protective gear isn’t what you wear AFTER you hurt yourself; it’s what you wear so you don’t hurt yourself in the first place.
Byron Buxton rates 60 or better on all the usual tools, but right now he rates about 40 on self-preservation. He needs to get a lot better at that.
Comment by jimbo92107 — June 29, 2015 @ 2:11 pm