Few Players Have Had Byron Buxton's Talent, and Awards Show That

[Greggory Masterson]

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Byron Buxton has been one of the most talented players in baseball over the past decade, full stop. He has the hardware to prove it.

On Thursday night, the Twins announced that Buxton received one of the league’s three Silver Slugger Awards given to American League outfielders, alongside MVP hopeful Aaron Judge and rising star Riley Greene.

Buxton ranked fifth in home runs (35), sixth in batting average (.264), second in slugging (.551), third in runs (97), seventh in stolen bases (24 of 24), and most importantly, second in OPS (136 OPS+) among AL outfielders, trailing only Judge. It wasn’t a sure thing, but it was certainly deserved.

Eight seasons ago, the two-time All-Star also brought home hardware, but instead of with his bat, it was with his glove. Buxton was awarded the Gold Glove in 2017, his first full year as a pro, as well as the even more exclusive Platinum Glove, awarded by Rawlings to the single top defender in each league regardless of position. Buxton’s 2017 defense registered 27 outs above average per Statcast, the most value accrued by an outfielder since its inception in 2016 and the third most at any position.

Think about that for a moment. Buxton once had the ability to be the best defender in baseball, and now he’s among the league’s best hitters (his .878 OPS was the fourth-highest in the American League and ninth-highest in MLB). And he’s still playing an admirable center field, one of the toughest positions to cover in baseball.

In total, 21 other players have won both a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove in seasons primarily playing center field. This includes those who, like Buxton, did not win both awards in the same season. Admittedly, most of them did; 12 of the 21 won their first center field Silver Slugger and Gold Glove in the same year. Buxton is tied for the longest drought between the two awards with Torii Hunter, who won his first Gold Glove in 2001 but had to wait until 2009 for that elusive Silver Slugger.

Here’s the full list of players to win both awards as center fielders, in alphabetical order: Carlos Beltrán, Ellis Burks, Eric Davis, Andre Dawson, Jim Edmonds, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ken Griffey Jr., Tony Gwynn, Torii Hunter, Adam Jones, Andruw Jones, Matt Kemp, Andrew McCutchen, Willie McGee, Dale Murphy, Kirby Puckett, Grady Sizemore, Ichiro Suzuki, Andy Van Slyke, Vernon Wells, Bernie Williams.

It's a good mix of Hall of Famers and “that dude was cold.” Some takeaways from that group are below.

Griffey leads the group in total awards with 17, tying Andruw Jones for the most with 10 Gold Gloves and leading the group in Silver Sluggers. Second in Silver Sluggers was Puckett with five. Other players who, like Buxton and Hunter, had to wait to obtain both were Edmonds and Andruw Jones (both seven years) and Williams (five).

Buxton joins Burks, Ellsbury, Gwynn, and Suzuki as the only players with exactly one of each, though the other four won both of theirs in the same season. Also, Gwynn and Suzuki were not primarily center fielders, but both had one season in the middle of their primes during which they played primarily center field (Gwynn just 86 games, but we'll count it), and both took home both awards. Fun!

There are a few extra players who have won both awards, but one was at a different position, such as Robin Yount winning a Silver Slugger in center field but a Gold Glove at shortstop, or Cody Bellinger winning a Gold Glove as a right fielder and a Silver Slugger as a center fielder.

It should be noted that Silver Sluggers are awarded to outfielders generally, which puts center fielders at a disadvantage, given that the position is typically filled by players known more for their gloves. Winning the award means they outhit not just other center fielders but also the more offense-focused corner outfielders.

Another aspect to keep in mind is that from 1961 to 2010, Gold Gloves were similarly given generally to outfielders, which often resulted in only center fielders receiving the award. There were seasons in which, if you were a starting center fielder, you had a 25% chance of winning a Gold Glove. Of the list given, only four received their award after center field was singled out in the voting (Ellsbury, Adam Jones, Kemp, McCutchen).

But this accomplishment has a bit of a cloud over it. As noted, Buxton is tied with Hunter for the longest gap between first Gold Glove and first Silver Slugger. Hunter, though, won eight Gold Gloves in those eight years. Jones racked up seven during his seven-year wait, and Edmonds had six during his seven-year wait.

Buxton still doesn’t have another Gold Glove.

He won his Gold and Platinum Gloves in his first full season in the big leagues, but that was also his final full season in the big leagues until 2025—eight years later. It’s hard not to play the what-if game. Obviously, he wasn’t hitting enough at 23 to compete for a Silver Slugger, but his 136 OPS+ this season is quite close to the 131 OPS+ that he’s carried for the past seven seasons, since the start of 2019. That’s good enough to compete for a trophy, and his defense was elite for much of that stretch.

But we know why that gap exists. Buxton averaged just 89 games between 2019 and 2024, even prorating 2020’s truncated season. And although he put up flashy rate stats, you can’t win a Silver Slugger with 19 homers and 32 RBI, even if a 1.005 OPS and 4.9 bWAR accompany it in 61 first-half games (can we please take a moment to marvel at Buxton's 2021?). Apparently, it wasn’t even worth an All-Star nod.

It’s hard not to dream about what that gap could have contained had Buxton stayed healthy. At age 23, he was the best defender in baseball. At age 31, he was one of the handful of best hitters in baseball. And we saw flashes of both between them, but not enough to take home any hardware.

From another point of view, though, it’s actually remarkable—in a positive way—that he’s been able to put together a rebound like this. Just two seasons ago, this player didn’t play a single inning in center field due to health reasons. From 2018 to 2023, 92 games was his high-water mark. He had hand, knee, hip, and brain injuries that kept him from the field for months at a time. And after all that, as a 31-year-old, he was still one of the top offensive assets in the game while playing an admirable center field at an age when even great center fielders get moved to a corner position. Heck, many fans just two years ago pleaded for him to retire for health reasons.

Buxton is a marvel. If you can’t see that, I don’t know what to tell you.

Congratulations, Buck.

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[h2oface]

"'Buxton is a marvel. If you can’t see that, I don’t know what to tell you."

I see it. I can also honestly and candidly admit, that for all the reasons pointed out in the article, he also has achieved very few awards for someone with that same massive talent. Can he be a massive "30s" guy? I hope so, but he better asked to be traded if he wants to do it on the post season stage.

[Jeff K]

I moved my family to Minnesota in 92 which means I just missed their glory years.  That said, I've been a Twins fan since 92 and Buxton is my favorite Twins player ever.  He is a magnifcent athlete and a pleasure to watch.  And he appears to be a very good person on top of all of that.

[TopGunn#22]

GREAT article Gregg !!  A ray of SUNSHINE for what appears to be some dreary years ahead.  There's always something to appreciate if you look hard enough for it.  Sometimes, it's not really THAT hard.

[Doctor Gast]

I remember Buck in the minors. His bat was what I remember the most. But when he 1st came up, it was his defense & baserunning that marveled us. His health & hitting adjustments delayed his hitting prowess, but it's finally here. Congratulations Buck, wish you many more awards in a Twins uniform, because you deserve it!

[Whitey333]

Byron Buxton had a great year in 2025!! It took him 10 years to get there and he still missed around 40 games.  But he excelled in 2025.  He deserves the award.  He should be given an award for perseverance. He should be given a lifetime achievement award should he truly decide to stay with the Twins.  But this obsession with him is over the top.  It's not proper to compare him to the greats when he has missed so much time.  Bottom line is hes a good player when he can stay on the field.  2025 was awesome but it doesn't make his career great.

[rv78]

The GREAT Byron Buxton has been one of the most injured players in baseball over the past decade, full stop. He has the lack of playing time to prove it.

Managed to get to 126 games played in 2025. His highest number since his record setting season for appearances of 140, done 8 years ago in 2017. For being one of the most gifted players ever to put on a Twins uniform, he's also been one of the most disappointing. For comparison sake. Buck has reached 140 games played in a season once in his 11 year career. (1 for 11). He's never gone above 140. The truely GREAT centerfielder for the Twins, Kirby Puckett played less than 140 games 3 times in his 12 year career. 1 was his first season, 1 was his last season, and 1 in 1994. (9 for 12). 1 of those 3 seasons he was a rookie earning his spot. 1 was the shortened 1994 season, and the last season he got beaned in the head by Dennis Martinez that ended his season. 

I realize there isn't much good news to write about in this dreadful organization and Buxton is the most talented player on the roster. He's also been the most over-enamored, most talked about, and most written about player that has really not done anything outside of his few individual awards. I think the state of baseball has become almost comical if a guy that hits .264 with an OBP of .327, hits 35 HR's with 83 RBI's, can win a Silver Slugger Award. Those use to be average numbers put up by a lot of major leaguers back in the 70's, and 80's. Buxton is the Twins most significant hitter in their lineup when he's healthy. On a lot of other teams, he'd just be a secondary piece to their roster.

[Blyleven2011]

Shouldn't he be considered in 2025 as comeback player of the year after all those injured years zapped him of playing even half a season  ????

[Nashvilletwin]

Love Buck, absolutely love him.  The injuries kept him from attaining numerical greatness, but he’s still a warrior and an all-time Twin.

Alas, between Tony O and Buck, the Twins might have had two of the greatest outfielders ever with careers dramatically cut short due to injuries.

I hope Buck finishes his career with health on the terms that provide him the greatest happiness.  

[Greggory Masterson]

38 minutes ago, rv78 said:

The GREAT Byron Buxton has been one of the most injured players in baseball over the past decade, full stop. He has the lack of playing time to prove it.

Managed to get to 126 games played in 2025. His highest number since his record setting season for appearances of 140, done 8 years ago in 2017. For being one of the most gifted players ever to put on a Twins uniform, he's also been one of the most disappointing. For comparison sake. Buck has reached 140 games played in a season once in his 11 year career. (1 for 11). He's never gone above 140. The truely GREAT centerfielder for the Twins, Kirby Puckett played less than 140 games 3 times in his 12 year career. 1 was his first season, 1 was his last season, and 1 in 1994. (9 for 12). 1 of those 3 seasons he was a rookie earning his spot. 1 was the shortened 1994 season, and the last season he got beaned in the head by Dennis Martinez that ended his season. 

I realize there isn't much good news to write about in this dreadful organization and Buxton is the most talented player on the roster. He's also been the most over-enamored, most talked about, and most written about player that has really not done anything outside of his few individual awards. I think the state of baseball has become almost comical if a guy that hits .264 with an OBP of .327, hits 35 HR's with 83 RBI's, can win a Silver Slugger Award. Those use to be average numbers put up by a lot of major leaguers back in the 70's, and 80's. Buxton is the Twins most significant hitter in their lineup when he's healthy. On a lot of other teams, he'd just be a secondary piece to their roster.

I think you might have paid more attention to tone than content here.

[bean5302]

Buxtons' bat has stabilized in that wRC+ 130-140 range, well above what I expected from him. Over his past 6 seasons and 2,048 trips to the plate he's a .255/.319/.537 OPS .856 wRC+ 133 hitter. That reflects a much improved walk rate which came with experience. 

If Buxton had always been healthy, I still think he would have been a 5-6 WAR player year in and year out from age 25+, but depending on the defensive metric driving the WAR calculation, he might have been able to eek out a MVP consideration season.

I think he'd be a borderline HoF candidate with about 45 WAR entering his age 32 season right now.

All that said, there are a ton of players who were really great but never reached their career potential because of injury. Sad to see it happen, but it does.

[AKTwinsFan]

A trade package should net some serious talent in return. If he decides that he wants to finally compete for a World Series title he will ask for a trade. The main trade destination would be Atlanta, GA. Some experienced players could be returned.

[DocBauer]

A good, and well thought out OP Greg.

I dare say in the history of the MINNESOTA TWINS, Buxton is EASILY in the TOP 5 of TALENTS to play for the organization. Honestly, if Buxton had been as healthy, I'd honestly bet he and Griffey would be comparable for career numbers and awards. 

But coulda, shoulda, woulda includes a hell of a lot of players.

I watched the Twins in '87 and '91 and those were amongst the greatest and most fun moments of my sports fan life, along with a 3 championship stretch from my Huskers that could have been 5 so easily with a couple of breaks.

And as a child I cried for Super Bowl losses. And as an adult I cried and cursed for "wide left" that might have changed Vikings fan history.

And I really enjoyed the early '00's of the Twins in recent history. 

But in the last decade, no apologies to the Pohlads, as a fan, I have been overjoyed by 2019 and 2020 and 2023 despite the ultimate outcome.

Even if you dislike Rocco, or Falvey, those 3 seasons were COMPETITIVE and FUN!

BUT the NEXT BEST THING I'VE SEEN is a HEALTHY Buxton. My goodness what he has done, and what he could still do, and what many have missed is disappointing. 

He was all that we hoped for and expected previously.  And I'm happy to saw I was able to watch it. 

To be blunt, it was AWESOME to see a full season of what what Buxton could be in a **** season. 

Personally, I'm just hoping he's not done yet. And I don't think he is.