Byron Buxton-2015

[Hrbowski]

Byron Buxton is well known as one of the best prospects in all of baseball, taken second overall in the 2012 MLB Draft, he was considered the best five tool talent in the draft. He was assigned to the GCL but was soon promoted to Elizabethton, where he won the Appy League World Series.

 

In 2013, his first full season, he surpassed nearly everybody's expectations, hitting .334/.424/.520 between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, he also stole 55 bases and hit 18 triples. Last year he was plagued by injuries and got little playing time, but none of these were reoccurring, so this doesn't make him injury prone, just a streak of bad luck.

 

He will start the season at Chattanooga, where he will be surrounded by many great bats, so he should get plenty of opportunities to score runs. With the Twins center field position up in the air we could see Buxton in Target Field by the end of season. The expectations are that he will be a perennial all star and MVP candidate.

 

Buxton is considered the top Twins prospect by most evaluators, and mlb.com has him ranked the number one prospect in all of baseball and says, "He has a quick, simple swing that generates a ton of bat speed. His power, which often comes later in development, has already started showing up in games, and there is more the tank there."

 

So if it all comes together, Buxton could quickly become one of the best, if not the best player in the game. In the same way Mike Trout has given a spark to the Angels, I wouldn't be surprised to see Byron do similar things.

[Hrbowski]

Byron started his season going 1-4 with three strikeouts and a walk.

[Hrbowski]

Byron Buxton hit his first ever home run at AA ever last night. He went 1-5.

[Hrbowski]

Buxton went 1-5 this afternoon with his first steal of the year.

[Hrbowski]

Byron Buxton went 4-6 with a RBI today. He is now hitting .280 with a homer and 3 RBI.

[Hrbowski]

Buxton went 0-4 last night, his average is now down to .242

[Hrbowski]

Yesterday Buxton went 0-2 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and an outfield assist.

[Hrbowski]

Last night Buxton hit his second home run of the year and drove in four runs.

[Hrbowski]

Byron went 1-3 with a walk, a run scored, and his 5th steal of the year.

[Hrbowski]

Yesterday Buxton went 3-4 with a RBI.

[jokin]

 

Yesterday Buxton went 3-4 with a RBI.

 

Geez...  Buxton 3-5 today.  2 triples/1 double  OPS is now .853........!

[nytwinsfan]

Just to put how fast Buxton is in context, check out this from today's Kiley McDaniel chat transcript:

 

First, Kiley responded to this, seemingly un-Buxton-related question:

 

Comment From tony
Who's faster? Dee Gordon or Billy Hamilton? Is there anyone else who compares to them?

 

Kiley McDaniel
Hamilton is the fastest guy of this generation. 90 runner would describe him, but I think I've gotten game times that would be a 95 on him before.
 

But then check out this follow-up question and answer:

 

Comment From Colby
in regards to Hamilton and the 90-95, are you saying that the scale goes to 100 or its just an extrapolation due to how fast he is?

 

Kiley McDaniel
Extrapolation. The scale is 20-80 and 80 is a number (3.9 to first for a lefty hitter, 6.3 or so in the 60 yard dash) with standard gaps for each grade, so you can obviously figure out what a 90 would be. Buxton has given me a 85-90 run time in a game too. Also, when a hitter jailbreaks (out of the box quickly due to the swing), you'll get a extra tenth or two off the run time. The Hamilton/Buxton times I'm quoting are normal full swings, because a 60 runner could give you an 80 time on the right play, but that doesn't really mean anything in the scheme of things or change his run grade.


 

[Hrbowski]

Buxton has been on a tear lately raising his slash line to .286/.353/.527. This past week he hit a walk-off home run.

[nytwinsfan]

Baseball Prospectus just dropped a Buxton prospect profile, which has a ton of interesting info and tidbits.

 

The reviews of all five tools are glowing, of course, but the real take-away is how he is working hard to adjust to better pitching. He sounds like a smart hitter, who knows what the flaws in his current approach are and what he has to do too adjust.

[tobi0040]

 

Baseball Prospectus just dropped a Buxton prospect profile, which has a ton of interesting info and tidbits.

 

The reviews of all five tools are glowing, of course, but the real take-away is how he is working hard to adjust to better pitching. He sounds like a smart hitter, who knows what the flaws in his current approach are and what he has to do too adjust.

 

Thanks for the link.  You just can't read these and not get really excited.

 

https://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=26321

[Hrbowski]

Buxton now has a slash line of .246/.310/.460 with 3 doubles, 6 triples, 4 homers, and 9 steals.

[Loosey]

I have been following Chattanooga box scores so I can't see how well hit Buxton's outs have been.  But I would say if this mini-slump he is in this week is the result of weakly hit balls I think he needs a day off.  It's almost as if he wore himself out climbing out of that slump to start the season and sprinted to get his numbers up.  Give him a breather and let him roar back.

[Hrbowski]

Yesterday Buxton went 3-5 with a single, double, triple, his tenth stolen base, and two RBIs.

[Hrbowski]

Buxton went 2-4 with his 8th and 9th triples, and the night before yesterday he hit a grand slam. He now has 5 homers, 29 RBI, and a .247 average.

[tobi0040]

 

Buxton went 2-4 with his 8th and 9th triples, and the night before yesterday he hit a grand slam. He now has 5 homers, 29 RBI, and a .247 average.

 

Due to the 2B and 3B, he has an OPS of .784.  Sano is at .810 or so.

[Guest]

In the Baseball Prospectus profile on Buxton discussed above (https://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=26321), David Lee concludes Buxton has "elite potential with a realistic shot at a Role 7 player."  Looking for an assist here...what is a Role 7 player?  Google search left me empty-handed.  Thanks.

[Willihammer]

 

 

JayT (San Francisco): What exactly do you mean when you say "role 4", "role 5", "role 7" player? I'm unfamiliar with that term.

Jason Parks: On a 2/8 scale; 5 being an average major leaguer/6 being a first division type and potential all-star; 7 being a perennial all-star type; 8 being elite.

 

[stringer bell]

Tenth triple today for Buxton.  I don't know what the Southern League record is, but he would be a near cinch to set a new one if he stayed in AA all year.

[Hrbowski]

Buxton went 1-4 with his 15th steal and 39th run scored yesterday. He is now hitting .341 in his last ten games, and .262 on the season.

[jimbo92107]

Role 7 player... Is that like a 5-tool guy that also announces games and cleans up the stadium after?

 

Imagine Byron Buxton in CF, Hicks in Right and Rosario in Left, with AB Walker as fourth OF, splitting DH duties with Vargas... OMG, the power and the glory...

[tobi0040]

 

Buxton went 1-4 with his 15th steal and 39th run scored yesterday. He is now hitting .341 in his last ten games, and .262 on the season.

 

48 games. 

 

BA  .262, OBP .329, .497 slugging, .826 OPS,  6 2B, 11 3B, 6 HR, 15 SB, and 8 OF assists to boot.

[Loosey]

 

Role 7 player... Is that like a 5-tool guy that also announces games and cleans up the stadium after?

 

Imagine Byron Buxton in CF, Hicks in Right and Rosario in Left, with AB Walker as fourth OF, splitting DH duties with Vargas... OMG, the power and the glory...

Oh the glory!  Also don't forget Max Kepler.  I know it's a small sample size but he has been playing unbelievable the last month and half.  Maybe we are finally realizing his potential.  Maybe I am going way out on a limb here but when I see Kepler's skillset and some of the things he does, he reminds me a lot of Shawn Green.

[sdtwins37]

 

Role 7 player... Is that like a 5-tool guy that also announces games and cleans up the stadium after?

 

Imagine Byron Buxton in CF, Hicks in Right and Rosario in Left, with AB Walker as fourth OF, splitting DH duties with Vargas... OMG, the power and the glory...

This does sound amazing......it is a bit unrealistic to think that all of those guys will pan out, and if you are talking power you left out Sano. Vargas and AB Walker are very much up in the air. While their power potential is tremendous, they show a lack of strike zone control, this is why Vargas is back at Rochester right now. They still have time to develop, so time will tell.

[gil4]

 

Oh the glory!  Also don't forget Max Kepler.  I know it's a small sample size but he has been playing unbelievable the last month and half.  Maybe we are finally realizing his potential.  Maybe I am going way out on a limb here but when I see Kepler's skillset and some of the things he does, he reminds me a lot of Shawn Green.

It seems like I've heard that Shawn Greene comparison before.  Hopefully it happens. 

 

[Hrbowski]

Buxton stole 3 bases last night! He now has 19 in 21 tries. His average is at .269 with 6 homers and 35 RBI.