It becomes part of the rhythm of a baseball season. Every baseball fan will wonder why they can't have nice things when Mike Trout leaves a game early. When Trout misses a lot of time, we feel deprived. This will happen when Ohtani misses a start or leaves a game early. You heard a similar rumble when it was announced that Fernando was going to miss a lot of time.
But when he gets hurt, there isn't a ripple. That is expected. It would be a surprise if he ever completes a full season, given that he has only done it once in seven years.
The miss is the same size. When he is on the field, Buxton seems intent on proving that.
He was the best player in baseball in a third of the season when he was healthy. Even though he only played 61 games, Buxton ranked in the top 35 in WAR. He was not a fan of the game. He saved the fourth-most defensive runs in center field. He was an orgy of power and defense.
There were 61 games. That is always the problem. He had a scare on his knee last week, and has already missed some time this year. There is also this:
That walk-off home run was No matter what you have on your phone or computer, the contact comes through and punches you in the brain.
That wasn't the only thing that Buxton did yesterday, as he also hit a home run to tie the game at 3-3. He went 4-for-4 on Saturday with a home run and two runs. It helps that the White Sox are currently under some sort of Anansi curse and are managed by a barely sentient collection of liver spots, who for some reason was more afraid of Luis Arraez than Buxton yesterday. You still have to use the platform if you want to get luck.
With a 1.200 OPS and 1.1 fWAR in just nine games, Buxton is on pace for a 10-WAR season, a territory in which only the true gods walk. At the moment, no one is hitting the ball harder than Buxton. He has provided the Twins with two outs above average in the field.
No one is counting on that. He has never been able to stay on the field. He just gives a glimpse. The most exciting player in the game are those snippets. People complain about Trout's lack of swagger. They wonder if he could do more for the game if he had a personality. He would be called Byron Buxton. Eric Davis was a Reds player for a long time, so the comparisons to him have faded. It's still the most fitting, since it's rare that Buxton makes it to the post.
His game is unparalleled. It is loud. Give us one full season so we know what's going on.
The baseball gods are a devious cult, given that they keep giving us Angel Hernandez behind the plate. Here are some highlights.
Kyle Schwarber couldn't take it anymore when he was called up by the Brewers in the 9th.
Fans and players have been complaining about his inability to keep his strike zone from being amoeba-shaped for years. How does he end up behind the plate? Who is evaluating this? Is there anything they can do about it? We all know, and yet nothing changes.
Save us. You are our only hope.
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