Byron Buxton
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 7:15 pm
I think most Twins fans have been enormously excited about Buxton since we drafted him. Unfortunately, he is far from living up to the hype so far. Now, to keep things in perspective, he has only played in 106 major league games and is only 22 years old. But with the caveat that much can change in the future, it's reasonable to look at where he is at this stage of his career...both good and bad.
The Good:
1) I don't know if I have ever seen a major league player with more game-changing speed than Byron...at least certainly no Twin. He doesn't get on base enough to really make his speed a factor, but when he does, the results are often spectacular. The play he made last night...stealing second easily, going to third on the overthrow, and then continuing home and leaping over the catcher when the center fielder briefly overran the ball...was nothing short of breathtaking. He turns routine ground balls into close plays, and is a nightmare on the bases for any pitcher.
2) He doesn't seem to let his struggles at the plate impact his defense, and he is nothing short of sensational in CF. He gets a good jump on the ball and has the speed to get to balls that other center fielders would have no chance on. And he has a good glove when he gets to the ball. He is truly a gifted center fielder at 22.
The Bad:
1) His hitting in the majors has been absurdly bad, and doesn't seem to be improving. He is currently hitting .199 and his career average is .203, and he is only hitting .150 since the All-Star break. He strikes out 40% of the time, and that percentage has stayed consistent all year. He still seems to have very little pitch recognition, and as a result, finds himself in unfavorable counts most of the time...and he is ridiculously bad when he gets behind in the count. Listen to this...when he has 2 strikes on him other than a full count, he has only 8 hits in 96 at bats for an .083 batting average! And just to makes things worse, he seems to pop up bunts more often than not when asked to sacrifice bunt.
2) He is hurt again after injuring his knee during today's game (he won't be travelling with the team to Cleveland awaiting results of an MRI), and with his terrible injury history to date, it's not too early to wonder whether he is seriously injury prone. He plays hard on every play, and is likely to continue to engage in plays that have a higher chance of resulting in injuries...stealing bases, running into fences, and diving for balls in the outfield. He needs some sustained time in the majors to learn to become a better hitter, but his injuries aren't allowing him to develop like other top prospects.
There it is, the good and the bad...and unfortunately to date the bad far outweighs the good. We're all cheering for him because he has such enormous talent and seems like a really good kid, but with every passing month the possibility of bust raises its ugly head. I hope not.
The Good:
1) I don't know if I have ever seen a major league player with more game-changing speed than Byron...at least certainly no Twin. He doesn't get on base enough to really make his speed a factor, but when he does, the results are often spectacular. The play he made last night...stealing second easily, going to third on the overthrow, and then continuing home and leaping over the catcher when the center fielder briefly overran the ball...was nothing short of breathtaking. He turns routine ground balls into close plays, and is a nightmare on the bases for any pitcher.
2) He doesn't seem to let his struggles at the plate impact his defense, and he is nothing short of sensational in CF. He gets a good jump on the ball and has the speed to get to balls that other center fielders would have no chance on. And he has a good glove when he gets to the ball. He is truly a gifted center fielder at 22.
The Bad:
1) His hitting in the majors has been absurdly bad, and doesn't seem to be improving. He is currently hitting .199 and his career average is .203, and he is only hitting .150 since the All-Star break. He strikes out 40% of the time, and that percentage has stayed consistent all year. He still seems to have very little pitch recognition, and as a result, finds himself in unfavorable counts most of the time...and he is ridiculously bad when he gets behind in the count. Listen to this...when he has 2 strikes on him other than a full count, he has only 8 hits in 96 at bats for an .083 batting average! And just to makes things worse, he seems to pop up bunts more often than not when asked to sacrifice bunt.
2) He is hurt again after injuring his knee during today's game (he won't be travelling with the team to Cleveland awaiting results of an MRI), and with his terrible injury history to date, it's not too early to wonder whether he is seriously injury prone. He plays hard on every play, and is likely to continue to engage in plays that have a higher chance of resulting in injuries...stealing bases, running into fences, and diving for balls in the outfield. He needs some sustained time in the majors to learn to become a better hitter, but his injuries aren't allowing him to develop like other top prospects.
There it is, the good and the bad...and unfortunately to date the bad far outweighs the good. We're all cheering for him because he has such enormous talent and seems like a really good kid, but with every passing month the possibility of bust raises its ugly head. I hope not.