Byron Buxton Named AL Player of the Week

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins have been searching for consistency in the early part of the season, and over the past week, Byron Buxton provided exactly that. When he is healthy and locked in, there are few players in baseball who can impact a game in as many ways, and this latest stretch served as a reminder of his game-changing ability on both sides of the ball.

Buxton put together one of the most productive weeks of his career, appearing in seven games and collecting 10 hits in 29 at-bats for a .345 average. His power was on full display as he launched five home runs, added a double, and swiped two bases. He also crossed the plate six times and drove in seven runs, serving as the catalyst for Minnesota’s offense throughout the week. Notably, he homered in five of those seven games, including a streak of three consecutive contests, marking the sixth time in his career he has accomplished that feat.

This recognition marks the third time in Buxton’s 12-year career that he has earned American League Player of the Week honors. His previous awards came on August 26, 2017, and June 11, 2022. It also represents a milestone for the Twins lineup, as Buxton becomes the first Minnesota hitter to take home the award since Luke Keaschall did so on August 9 of last season.

With this latest honor, Buxton continues to climb into elite territory within franchise history. He is now one of six players in Twins history to win the award at least three times while with the organization. That group includes Kent Hrbek, Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, and Johan Santana, a collection of names that highlights just how impactful Buxton has been when at his best.

 

Buxton got off to a slow start at the plate to begin the season, and some have pointed to his limited action in the World Baseball Classic after being hit by a pitch as a contributing factor. Through his first eight games, he went just 4-for-30 (.133) with 10 strikeouts. Since then, the turnaround has been significant. Over his next 24 games, he has posted a .288/.351/.615 (.966) slash line with 10 home runs and four doubles, a stretch that looks much more like the All-Star level production the Twins have come to expect.

If this stretch is any indication of what Buxton can provide moving forward, the Twins lineup may have found the spark it needs. His combination of power, speed, and defensive excellence makes him one of the most dynamic players in the game, and when he is producing at this level, Minnesota looks like a much more dangerous team.

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[BrainerdGuy]

Can anyone explain why Byron is batting leadoff while on a 50 hr, 79 rbi pace?  He must lead the club in on base pct.  No, that would be Martin at a .464 mark (Buxton is a very pedestrian. 307, actually 7th on the team) and he hits third?  

For a team that needs every run it can scrape up this, to me, is insane.  There, I just thought someone should state the obvious.  Other than this glaring error I do prefer Shelton over Baldelli, but please fix it yesterday.

[lecroy24fan]

It is where Buxton is the most comfortable in the lineup. When he was hitting 2/3 to start the season he was not doing well.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

3 hours ago, BrainerdGuy said:

Can anyone explain why Byron is batting leadoff while on a 50 hr, 79 rbi pace?  He must lead the club in on base pct.  No, that would be Martin at a .464 mark (Buxton is a very pedestrian. 307, actually 7th on the team) and he hits third?  

For a team that needs every run it can scrape up this, to me, is insane.  There, I just thought someone should state the obvious.  Other than this glaring error I do prefer Shelton over Baldelli, but please fix it yesterday.

Leading off gets the most plate appearances over the course of the season. Buxton leads the team in PAs and is third in OPS. That’s increasing the number of chances to score runs.

My gripe is that Luke Keaschall is second in PAs with a .629 OPS, and Bell is third Wallner is fifth! And Martin is 7th who has an .889 OPS and is the second best fielder on a very fly ball heavy pitching staff.