BYRON BUXTON – Page 4 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Making the Case for Trading Viking WR Jordan Addison

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by David Shama

It’s interesting to consider the Vikings could trade second-year star wide receiver Jordan Addison.

Multiple factors make a trade plausible. The Vikings appear deep in wide receivers starting with 25-year-old superstar Justin Jefferson and moving through other players who impressed during training camp.

The list includes Jalen Nailor, “Speedy,” who lived up to his nickname in three preseason games as Minnesota went 3-0. Nailor, 25, caught four passes for 94 yards, an average per reception of 23.5 yards.

When the Vikings trim their roster to 53 today, the club could list three other wide receivers including Trishton Jackson, 26, who caught touchdown passes in all three preseason games—tops in the NFL. He totaled nine receptions for 154 yards in the games.

Brandon Powell, 28, is small at 5-8, 181 pounds but he is a physical player. The Vikings saw his production last year when he received increased playing time with Jefferson sidelined. He started two games, played in all 17 regular season games and caught 29 passes for 324 yards.

Trent Sherfield, 28, is another physical player and the coaches have to love his willingness and skill blocking, traits not all wideouts possess. The 6-1, 210-pound NFL veteran had one touchdown among his seven preseason receptions.

Jordan Addison image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings need draft choices in 2025 and an early round selection, preferably a first, could come in return for moving on from Addison. Minnesota has three selections for next year, a first-round pick and two fifth rounders. Expected bottom feeders like the Panthers and Patriots need wide receiver talent. It’s possible the Vikings might get creative and be able to make a trade involving Addison that returns a valued player and draft choice. The club could have needs at cornerback and interior offensive line not only this season but next when the Vikings will be well positioned with salary cap space to pursue free agents.

Addison’s two road incidents within 13 months of each other raise “red flags” about his judgment. He was cited for speeding and reckless driving at 140 MPH on Interstate 94 in St. Paul over a year ago. He later pled guilty to a misdemeanor speeding charge, $686 fine and had his license suspended for six months.

Last month Addison was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of driving under the influence. His car was reportedly found blocking traffic on I-105 near Los Angeles International Airport while he was asleep in the driver’s seat.

If there is another incident this year or not too long after, that figures to diminish Addison’s trade value. Rather than gamble on future problems, the Vikings might test trade interest in Addison who could miss games this fall because of disciplinary action from the NFL. The Vikings find themselves in a position of apparent strength with their wide receiver corps and have other offensive playmakers including gifted tight end T.J. Hockenson and potential 1,000-yard rusher Aaron Jones.

There seemingly are always other teams willing to take on a talented player who has had off-field issues. Addison produced 70 receptions, 911 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season. The Pro Football Writers Association named him to its All-Rookie team.

Addison and Jefferson form one of the best and explosive pass catching duos in the NFL. The Vikings might have an ego issue about trading Addison after having spent a first-round draft selection on him in 2023 and seeing his importance to the team. A former NFL executive with two clubs cautioned Sports Headliners earlier this summer when he said: “The reality is a first-round pick is different. And a first-round pick that plays well like he did last year—and we presume he will this year—it’s just different.”

The NFL trade deadline is November 5. The Vikings have time to work on an Addison trade if they choose to.

Worth Noting

Vikings reserve quarterback Jaren Hall led the NFL in preseason touchdown passes with four. Trey Lance, the Marshall, Minnesota native, led all the quarterbacks with 662 passing yards and topped rushers with 168 yards while playing for the Cowboys.

Dinkytown Athletes, the official Golden Gophers collective, reports for the most recent fiscal year it bettered the goal of 85 percent revenue going to student-athletes. That means an additional $150,000 will be provided to Gopher athletes for name, image and likeness opportunities.

Casey O’Brien, the former Golden Gophers football player who has inspired so many, is battling cancer again. O’Brien, a six-time cancer survivor dating back to age 13 when he was first diagnosed with bone cancer, is pursuing funds to pay for an alternative therapy not covered by insurance. A graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, he is known for the courage and optimism he has displayed facing his health challenges—a message he has shared in speaking engagements, conversations and fundraising. Now battling cancer in his lung, liver and low back, he has established a GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-casey-obriens-fight-against-cancer

Jim Brunzell reports Kevin Hamm, his friend and former Gopher football teammate in 1969 and 1970, has been battling leukemia for seven months. https://www.caringbridge.org/site/ac4809a5-5805-11ef-9ac3-53c8c09873a4

The Golden Gophers and North Carolina game Thursday night will be seen across the country on Fox. Jason Benetti, a familiar voice from his work on the Big Ten Network, will do play-by-play. Former Washington Huskies quarterback Brock Huard will offer analysis.

This will be the season opener for both teams, with the Gophers likely to be about a two point underdog. The outcome could turn on a couple of things depending on whose new quarterback plays better, and how the defenses contain the star running backs—North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Minnesota’s Darius Taylor.

As of Tuesday, tickets remained for the game with Gophersports.com reporting “low availability” in many sections at Huntington Bank Stadium.

My prediction for the Gophers’ season record: 8-5 including another bowl win running their streak to eight in a row.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck starts the season as the third fastest coach in Gopher history to win 50 games. Fleck, 50-34, needed 84 games to reach his total while Henry Williams did it in 58 and Bernie Bierman in 67.

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown’s birthday is today, August 27. At 73 he is the only Division I head coach in his 70s.

The Nevada team the Gophers play in their third game of the season opened its schedule last Saturday with a close loss, 27-24, to SMU. Nevada, playing on its home field and nearly a four-touchdown underdog, led 24-13 going into the fourth quarter. Preseason expectations were for Nevada to be among the worst FBS teams in the country.

Coach Dwight Lundeen goes for his 400^th career victory Thursday night when his Becker football team hosts Hill-Murray. After the 2023 season, his record was 399-167-3, ranking second all-time in state prep coaching history, and trailing Verndale’s Mike Mahlen at 432-132-3. Brainerd’s Ron Stolski and Delano’s Merrill Pavlovich, both retired, rank third and fifth respectively on the all-time wins list, with Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant, 388-80, fourth.

As of this morning the Twins’ biggest stars, Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, had missed a total of 177 games. Here’s how it breaks down: Lewis 67 with a right quad strain and 20 with a right adductor strain; Correa 22 with a right intercostal strain and 35 with right plantar fasciitis; Buxton 20 with right knee inflammation and 13 with right hip inflammation.

Yesterday (August 26^th) was the anniversary date of the first no-hitter by a Twins pitcher. In 1962 Jack Kralick threw a near perfect game except for a walk as the Twins defeated the Athletics 1-0 at Metropolitan Stadium

The MIAC Sports Network can be found and installed free at various sources such as Apple TV as well as the web at https://miacsportsnetwork.com/.

Comments Welcome

Twins Hope for Early Leads in Timely Series with Cleveland

Posted on August 8, 2024August 10, 2024 by David Shama

In their most important series of the season so far, the Twins are advised to at least split their four game upcoming series against the Guardians at Target Field.

The Guardians are 5-0 this season against the Twins and lead Minnesota by 3.5 games in the race to win the American League Central Division. A Guardians sweep of the four-game series with the Twins that starts tomorrow afternoon (Friday) could make it quite unlikely Minnesota will win the division.

It’s extreme to think that on Sunday night Cleveland will be 9-0 on the season against Minnesota. Also extreme is the thought of a Twins sweep that would put the Twins in first place and boost Minnesota’s chances of being in the division lead through the last day of the season on September 29.

Even losing three of four will not be cheery news for Minnesota, while winning three would be a confidence booster. The way it looks right now the Twins are likely to and need to at least split the series.

The Guardians, 67-47, and the Twins, 63-50, will have one final series in September. Minnesota will play four games in Cleveland, September 16-19.

The Guardians have the best home record in the American League at 35-20 and 15 games over .500. In three home games in April against the Twins, the Guardians outscored Minnesota 19-8.

Twins president Dave St. Peter was asked earlier in the week about his view of the upcoming series: “It’s significant, obviously. We have an opportunity to make a dent in their lead. We clearly are playing at home, so these games are of the utmost importance.

“They’re really good (the Guardians). They’ve had our number to this point and so we’re obviously going to have our hands full.

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

“We know what their team is about. A lot of quality players, great defense, great base running. We know their bullpen is elite. So, we’re probably going to have to get to their starters and try to get to them early on with the hopes that we can kind of control games. And I think that will be one of the keys to the Guardians series.”

Only four teams in MLB have given up fewer runs than the Guardians with 452. Their saves total of 38 is second only to the National League Cardinals.

Bailey Ober is scheduled to start either tomorrow afternoon’s game or the night game at Target Field. He is one of three top of the staff pitchers for Minnesota that St. Peter was asked about.

“You know, I think our pitching has been great. We know there’s another gear. Pablo Lopez, we’ve already seen him pitch in the biggest moments (postseason 2023). We expect him to be great down the stretch. Joe Ryan has had a really, really nice year. Another step forward. And Bailey Ober over the last few months has been one of the better pitchers in baseball.

“So, I think we’re really confident about those three guys and believe they give us a great chance to win every chance they take the ball. So that’s going to be necessary if we’re going to hunt down the Guardians.”

Ryan had to exit yesterday’s game against the Cubs in the third inning because of triceps tightness in his right arm. Preliminary status is concern, with hope the injury will not sideline the seven-game winner for long.

The other two starting pitching spots in the rotation have been in flux over the course of the season. Most recently the four and five spots have gone to rookies Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa.

St. Peter said who fills those spots the balance of the season is likely to come from a mix of Richardson, Festa, Chris Paddack and Louie Varland. Paddack is on the IL list with a right forearm strain, while Varland has been pitching effectively for the Triple-A Saints.

A couple of those guys may figure into the bullpen plans, too. St. Peter predicts that, and he likes the relief pitching on his club which has been effective and could improve with even better performance and depth in the last two months of the season.

The Twins like reliever Justin Topa who they acquired from the Mariners in the offseason only to see him sidelined with a left knee injury. Topa is getting back into form with the Saints and St. Peter is “very excited” about his return to the Twins.

“We haven’t seen him pitch since spring training so that’s going to be huge for us and we’re still very confident Brock Stewart (right shoulder strain) will find his way back here as well.

“And we mentioned Paddack and Varland, both of those guys could also end up in our bullpen, just as they were last year in the postseason. So, we think there’s a lot of depth to our bullpen right now. We like that part of our team a lot.”

The Twins are trying to make the postseason for a second consecutive season. Fangraphs gives Minnesota a 33.4 percent chance to win the division and 51.1 percent likelihood to qualify for the playoffs as a wild card entry.

The Twins positional players can field, and score runs. Shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Byron Buxton are among the elite defensively at their positions in MLB. There are other fielding standouts, too, including the combo of Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda at third base, and Max Kepler’s capable work in right field.

The club ranks eight in runs scored in MLB with 552, fueled by a lineup of productive hitters including Lewis who has hit 14 home runs in 125 at bats. Correa is hitting over .300 and so, too, is Miranda who is bouncing back from a miserable 2023 when he had a shoulder injury.

Outfielder Matt Wallner, who St. Peter said might hit the ball harder than anyone on the roster, has been a key contributor to the offense since being recalled from the Saints in early July. He is hitting .311 in his last 15 games.

The bummer for the Twins is injuries have sidelined Lewis and Correa for extended periods. While Lewis is playing now, Correa hasn’t been in a game since July 12. Buxton hasn’t played in the last three games after colliding into the fence while making a catch. And there are the injuries already mentioned that pitchers are dealing with.

“We like our club a lot,” St. Peter said. “We think it’s a pretty good team. So, we gotta try to get healthy and stay healthy.”

Whoever is available for the Twins this weekend is likely to feel the energy from large crowds at Target Field. “…It’s certainly something we’re counting on during this upcoming homestand,” St. Peter said, while adding the club still has plenty of tickets to sell.

2 comments

Twins’ Willi Castro Worthy Candidate for 9-Positions Game

Posted on July 20, 2024July 20, 2024 by David Shama

In September of 1968 the Twins were headed to a 79-83 seventh place finish in the American League standings. With the club out of pennant contention, owner Calvin Griffith okayed a gimmick to boost local fan interest in his team.

Versatile Cesar Tovar, then 28, agreed to play all nine positions in the field. Tovar, who played at least 175 games or more at third, short, second and the three outfield spots in his 12-year MLB career, got the tough work out of the way early in the September 22 game against the Athletics at Met Stadium by pitching a scoreless first inning and then catching in the second.

Tovar is one of only five players in MLB history to have manned all nine positions in a single game and the Venezuelan native, who died in 1994, is the only Twin to have pulled off the feat. Tovar, who played his most games in the outfield for the Twins, ranks with the best multi-position players in franchise history but probably none can compare in versatility and fielding prowess to current super utility man Willi Castro.

Asked about Castro one day joining the list of nine position performers on the single game list, club president Dave St. Peter replied that would be in the “purview” of manager Rocco Baldelli. With the Twins among the American League favorites to be in contention for a spot in the playoffs until the closing days of the season, don’t expect Castro and Baldelli to have a you-know-what discussion this year.

The Twins, 54-42 and five games behind the Guardians in the AL Central Division, resume their post-All-Star Game break schedule tonight at home against the Brewers. Castro is the only Twin to have played in all 96 games this season. He has appeared in 30 games at second base, 24 at short, 23 in left field, 21 at third base and 20 in center while committing only 10 errors.

Castro, who has hit .265 with 10 stolen bases in 2024, has already become the only player in MLB history to have played at least 20 games at second, short, third, left field and center field in a single season. His versatility, skills and durability have stood out in a season where the club has seen stars Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton sidelined. No wonder St. Peter told Sports Headliners Castro is “arguably” the team’s MVP so far.

Castro, whose best position in the field is probably shortstop, has even pitched for the Twins this season. To save bullpen arms, Castro has pitched in two games and given up no hits or runs. He took the mound in a 2023 game for the Twins, too, reportedly throwing pitches under 50 MPH.

The 27-year-old Puerto Rico native, who made the 2024 All-Star team as a late addition to the roster, played for the division rival Tigers, the organization that decided in the fall of 2022 he wasn’t worth retaining after four seasons with the club. The Twins, though, including baseball boss Derek Falvey, saw things differently.

St. Peter said Falvey, who was with the Indians organization when Castro started his pro baseball career, deserves “lots of credit” for seeing the potential and value of their super utility player. In today’s baseball that puts a premium on multi-positional talent, the Twins hit it out of the park with Castro.

Castro, whose Mr. Versatile profile includes being a switch hitter, signed with the Indians in 2013 as an international free agent. He was traded by Cleveland in 2018 to the Tigers who ultimately decided they didn’t want to enter arbitration on his contract and let him go.

Worth Noting

Mauer photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins.

Joe Mauer, the former Twin who goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame tomorrow, would make the top 10 of all-time catchers from many authorities. Best ever? No consensus choice, but Johnny Bench from the Reds is a clear top five if not No. 1.

Roy Campanella, who played for the minor league St. Paul Saints in 1948, had his MLB career with the Dodgers cut short by a tragic car accident that left him paralyzed. His talent teased at being named the best ever.

Jordan Addison, the Vikings 22-year-old wide receiver who in about 12 months has two serious incidents with law enforcement, is probably in a zero tolerance spot with the organization going forward.

Vikings rookies, quarterbacks and select players report to training camp Sunday at Twin Cities Orthopedics Center in Eagan. The remaining players report Tuesday for the Vikings who have their first of three preseason games (lone appearance in Minneapolis) on August 10 against the Raiders.

All three games will be telecast in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market on Fox 9.

3M Open boss Hollis Cavner speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers on Tuesday, with Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck talking to the group August 1 at Interlachen Country Club. Fleck will be joined by Floyd of Rosedale.

With the Big Ten expanding to 18 schools, the conference’s football media preview in Indianapolis has been expanded from two to three days. Fleck is up on Thursday, speaking at 10:45 a.m. Minneapolis time. The Big Ten Network will televise the appearances of all 18 coaches Tuesday-Thursday.

Shari Ballard, who became the first female CEO in Major League Soccer in 2021 when she was hired by the United, is the latest guest on “Behind the Game.” Ballard shares her story, including her path from small town Michigan to top executive at Best Buy, with co-hosts Patrick Klinger and April Seifert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH0E3l5x6-Q&t=112s

Comments Welcome