Byron Buxton's Home Run Derby Nod is the Culmination of a Decade-Long Evolution

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

When the Twins selected Byron Buxton with the second overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, they envisioned a game-changing athlete: a lightning-fast center fielder who could wreak havoc on the basepaths, chase down fly balls few others could, and slap line drives from foul line to foul line. Power was more of a footnote in the scouting report.

“Buxton’s best present tool is his plus speed,” read MLB.com’s profile at the time. “He has some offensive ability to go along with his speed, with a line-drive stroke that provides gap power now.”

That gap power has since turned into thunderous, tape-measure clout. Next week, Buxton will showcase it on the grand stage of the 2025 Home Run Derby, before featuring in his second All-Star Game on Tuesday. It’s a fitting milestone in a career defined by reinvention.

From Bunter to Bomber
In 2016, Buxton was still trying to live up to the archetype the Twins had mapped for him. Just 22 years old and in his second MLB season, he was being coached to bunt his way on base—an attempt to leverage his disruptive speed to the max. 

As Star Tribune beat writer La Velle E. Neal III documented during one such low point in July of that ill-fated season:

“The last two times Byron Buxton has attempted to bunt, the results have been disastrous. Fans are grumbling about him being asked to bunt in the situation. But guess what? This is what development looks like. Players reach the majors with flaws and have to keep working on them. The big picture is that Buxton learns how to bunt for one hit a week and gets his blazing speed on the basepaths more often.”

That vision of Buxton—scratching out bunt singles and finding his way to first base however possible—has faded into the rearview. Instead, what emerged was a completely different force of nature: one of baseball’s most explosive power hitters.

Since 2019, Buxton’s .531 slugging percentage ranks sixth in all of baseball (2,000+ PA), trailing only Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez and Juan Soto. He’s become a Statcast marvel, regularly launching baseballs with exit velocities north of 110 mph. Last month, Buxton hit a home run that was estimated at 479 feet, the longest distance by a Twin since 2021 and the fourth-longest since tracking began in 2015.

The only Twins hitters ahead of Buxton? Two plodding sluggers: Miguel Sanó and Kennys Vargas. But of course, Buxton is far from that.

Still Blazing the Basepaths
Don’t mistake Buxton’s power surge for a tradeoff. He’s still one of the fastest players in baseball. He just doesn’t have to bunt to prove it.

In 2025, he’s a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts, threatening to join the prestigious 30/30 club. His sprint speed is second-highest in MLB behind Bobby Witt Jr. Defensively, he's in the 93rd percentile for Outs Above Average. And mind you, these are secondary skills. From a 31-year-old whose body has taken such a savage beating over the years, it's almost inconceivable that Buxton is capable of these feats of athleticism. 

He’s healthy, he’s dangerous, and he’s doing it all on a Twins team that, while struggling to back him up, continues to rely on him as its heart and soul. Buxton is the definition of an All-Star and deserves a whole lot more steam in the MVP conversation, moot a point as it may be with Judge and Cal Raleigh running away.

The Almighty Buck
Buxton has spent years fighting through injuries, reshaping his game, and redefining what kind of player he could be. Once a skinny kid learning how to bunt off a pitching machine, he’s now preparing to slug it out with the game’s most explosive bats under the bright lights.

Baseball fans will get to see what Twins fans already know: When Byron Buxton gets ahold of one, it’s a spectacle. In Minnesota, his pull power is the stuff of Bunyan-esque legend. His homecoming to Georgia will be a full-circle moment for the storybooks.

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[Coach Wheels]

It has been fun to watch Byron perform at the level he has this summer. He is a leader offensively and defensively, let's hope he stays healthy all year and can build on what he has become as a player.

[twinfan]

Hey. Even Mickey Mantle bunted several times in his career for base hits. It added dimension to his being a great ballplayer. I firmly believe that the home run derby can do more harm to a player than good. Bux is approaching greatness but doesn't need to be considered a home run hitter to get there. If he can stay healthy, bat over .280, add 30-35 homers and steals, and hit over .300 with men in scoring position, that's fine for me. I just hope his participation doesn't kill some of his swing. But then nowadays, everyone is swinging for the fences. I'd rather see Wallner (more raw power) in the derby but that won't happen right now.

[GNXman]

This is all fine, and its good to see such a wonderful output from Buxton. But the Twins drafted him thirteen years ago! I think he was the number 2 pick in the draft. You just can't have such lofty picks take thirteen years to finally come to fruition, which is why the Twins are always struggling to be relavent. This is what we've waited years to see. Sure injuries have been an issue, but my goodness its been a long haul to finally see the results we've wished for. Now there are all those other subsequent Twins high draft picks we continue to wait for...

[Gamblerssoftball]

Consider this....Buxton has spent so much time on the IL that he really has a younger body than his years of service. In other words, he's a 31 year old with a 28 year old body. I'm going with that, considering how he's playing right now. :)

[theBOMisthebomb]

Sometimes good things happen to good people and that seems to be the case here. Buxton deserves this success.