An Ode to Byron Buxton's Best Season Yet

Byron Buxton has officially had the best year of his career in his age-31 season. Perhaps you are among the initiated, and have loved what you have seen from him this season. If so, good on ya, and you probably feel this is stating the obvious. You may be asking yourself, “Why this article, and why now?”

Well, it’s simple. After his two-hit performance in the game on Wednesday against the White Sox, Buxton officially hit the high-water mark in his single-season fWAR total. Was it the leadoff triple in the fifth inning that did it? The leadoff double in the ninth? One of the catches he made in center? Tough to say. Regardless, fans who watched another disappointing performance against a bad team got the full Buxton experience, and one that illustrated just how fun a player he is.

Throughout his career, Buxton has offered tantalizing glimpses of his talent level as a truly special player. Alas, these glimpses have been punctuated by injury ellipses, some longer than others, that have frustrated many—not, to be clear, because the injuries have indicated any moral failing on Buxton’s part. Rather, the frustration has generally stemmed from the reminder that Twins fans Just. Can’t. Have. Nice. Things. There’s a danger in this mindset; sometimes it makes you miss what’s happening right in front of you.

With his performance on Wednesday, Buxton is now at 4.6 fWAR with 23 games remaining. His previous high was 4.4 fWAR, way back in 2017. In that season, Buxton was a sprightly 23 years old, and his game was a fair bit different—based entirely on speed and defense. In 140 games, he was worth 8 runs on the basepaths, and a whopping 25 runs in the field. At the plate, though? Not great, as he was worth -6 runs. All of his contributions came from his 100th-percentile range and sprint speed. He wasn't improving the team on both sides of the ledger.

Now, that version of Buxton was fun to watch, because he could change the game with a diving catch that mere mortals had a hard time envisioning. You know, catches like this one.

It’s well-documented that hitters typically lose some bat speed in their age-31 season, and yet, this version of Buxton is a beast at the plate. He’s kept his 99th-percentile sprint speed, but he’s added 95th-percentile batting run value. Somehow, he just gets better as he gets older—or rather, his game adjusts as he ages into the sort of high-energy slugger that changes the complexion of games with one swing of the bat, and whose infectious enthusiasm now provides the main remaining source of inspiration and leadership for the 2025 Twins.

So, how did Buxton surpass 4.4 fWAR (a lofty mark signifying a very good player) eight years after his breakout season; how did he do it in 34 fewer games; and how did he do it with three weeks remaining in the season? Let’s celebrate some of the building blocks that got us here.

First, let’s talk milestones. This season alone, he has:

• Hit for his first cycle, and on his own bobblehead giveaway day at Target Field

• Strangely, stolen third base for the first time in his career, while being a perfect 20-for-20 stealing second base

• Became the first player in baseball history to steal at least 100 bases in their career with a 90% or better success rate
• Knocked in two runs or more in five consecutive games, tying a team record set by Paul Molitor and Harmon Killebrew
• Reached a career high in home runs in a season, and still counting

• Was selected for his first Home Run Derby, and his second All-Star Game

• Paced himself to become just the second player to have a 25-25 season as a member of the Twins, and the first since Corey Koskie did it in 2001. He is just the eighth in Twins history to join the 20-20 club.
• Become the frontrunner for the Silver Slugger award, given to the best hitter at each position. By the way, Buxton’s OPS is by far the highest among American League center fielders.

Buxton has also been pretty healthy for the second straight season. A player who plays as hard as he does—and who plays a premium defensive position—will always get banged up a bit more than, say, a bopping first baseman. But, since recovering from back-to-back knee surgeries a few years back, Buxton’s maladies have been more of the run-of-the-mill, miss-a-week-or-two type, rather than the severe or lingering sort that plagued him in years past. Buxton has learned to understand and trust his body, and to control what he can control (at least a little bit). On pace to play around 120 games, Buxton has gone a long way to dispel the negative sentiments that critics have lobbed at him on social media. There’s really no reason to suspect he won’t be able to make it three straight 100-game seasons next year.

The last thing worth noting is just how much of a class act Buxton is. This has nothing to do with his on-field performance or accumulation of fWAR, but I said this is an ode to Buxton, so I'm saying it anyway. Whether it’s getting baseball cards signed for his kids, donating a bicycle to a child after hitting for the cycle, espousing loyalty to the Pohlads even after their spendthriftiness limits the front office’s ability to field a competitive team around him, or proudly telling the media, over and over (and over some more) that he has no interest in playing anywhere else, one thing is clear: Buxton is a good dude, and one who sets the example for those around him, on and off the field.

Byron Buxton, class act and world-class talent, is the player that the Pohlads don’t deserve, and the player Twins fans need. Let’s keep enjoying it, because dudes this special don’t come along that often. The last time a Twins hitter had a better season, it was Brian Dozier in 2017. In baseball years, that’s a lifetime ago. Who knows when it’ll happen again?

On to the 25-25 watch.