Twins Blog: The Buxton Show Begins
by Dan Cook, WCCO Radio
Byron Buxton was the second overall selection in the 2012 Major League Draft and Twins fans have been tantalized by the promise of his talent ever since.
Now they get to find out for real.
The Twins announced on Saturday that they'd selected Buxton's contract – meaning he's officially on the 40-man roster (Tim Stauffer being DFA'd cleared the spot) – and he's been promoted to the big league club. He's expected to join the team on Sunday.
A corresponding move on the 25-man roster is yet to be made, but with Saturday's announcement of "elbow soreness" for Aaron Hicks, it's not overly difficult to anticipate a DL trip for him.
So far this season in 59 games at Double-A Chattanooga, Buxton was hitting .283/.351/.489 with six homers, 12 triples, and 37 RBI. He's also stolen 20 bases in 22 attempts.
In the last month alone, he's hit .330 with two homers, six triples, four doubles and 14 RBI.
So given Hicks' apparent injury, it's not tough to see why Minnesota would chose June 14th to have Buxton make his Major League debut.
All the more so because they're on the road and the media crush won't be quite as gargantuan as it will be when they return home on Wednesday. Let the lad get three games under his belt, get somewhat used to life in the big leagues, and then he'll return home to face the media and adoring Twins fans.
Speaking of those fans, what should they expect from young Byron?
To put it simply: speed.
Speed is a tool that plays at any level, and Buxton has a bevy of it. Google: "Byron Buxton, inside the park home run" and you'll get a fair example of it.
In fact, he'd have two of them this season if not for a bang-bang play at home plate.
Defensively, he'll cover all the ground that Hicks did and then some. Offensively, he'll challenge shortstops on ground balls to the hole, and if an outfielder isn't quite as quick to the ball as he should be, Buxton will take the extra base in the blink of an eye.
Getting on base will remain an open issue. .351 is a solid OBP, but he's taken just 26 walks this season and struck out 51 times. And things won't be any easier now that he's making the leap from facing Double-A pitching to facing big leaguers.
One never knows how talent making that leap will react. Twins fans have watched young stars like Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Joey Gallo and Carlos Correa (the player drafted immediately prior to Buxton) all get the call this year and find success in the big leagues. So it's certainly possible that Buxton with his immense talent will follow suit.
It has been proven time and time again, however, that the game of baseball requires constant learning and adjustment. There's no question there will be bumps in the road for Byron as he finds his way in the majors.
But if the Twins are right, and Buxton is truly ready, well... buckle up, Twins fans.
Here we go!
