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A year ago during spring training, the talk of Twins camp was Byron Buxton building up to something. He didn’t participate in games playing center field, but the hope was that he could ultimately get there as the season wore on. We know that never happened, and he was shut down for much of the stretch run, before one thrilling but fruitless at-bat in the postseason.
Following another offseason procedure on his troublesome knee, though, things seemed different. Buxton was back in center during games this spring, and while he was being slow-played, there was quiet optimism in the air. Then, on Opening Day, Buxton returned to his rightful place in the Twins lineup, for the first time in 554 days.
While that was exciting in and of itself, it didn’t signify to what extent we would see the comeback play out, or how he would be used as the season went on. There were triples in Grapefruit League action that acted as some level of proof his legs were back under him, and the speed was there, but we never saw him really go get one--until it happened on Monday night against the Dodgers.
With Steven Okert on the mound and two runners aboard, slugger Teoscar Hernández crushed an 0-2 pitch to right-center. Buxton took off, and as only he can, laid out like Superman. What Statcast ruled a four-star opportunity was a ball that Buxton made look like just another part of his highlight reel.
At that moment, Target Field erupted. It seemed that, in fact, Buck was back.
Through the early part of the season, Buxton has already made two separate four-star catches, which leads all of baseball. Among center fielders, he is back to elite territory in sprint speed at 28.8 feet per second. That places him just outside of the top 15 across any position in baseball, and that's while now being 30 years old. If this isn't back, it's an awfully close facsimile.
On the offensive side of things, the slash line doesn’t tell the full story. Certainly, the 11/1 K/BB isn’t exciting, but Buxton’s quality of contact is reflective of a player poised for more, and one who is feeling good from the foundation up.
Batting just .235 with a .324 slugging percentage through his first nine games, Buxton has batted-ball data to support something more robust. His 93.2-mph average exit velocity is the highest number he has posted at any point throughout his career. His 52.2% hard-hit rate is well above the 34% career mark, and more than 10% above any other output he has accumulated during his career.
As has been the case with all Twins hitters thus far, honing plate discipline is where Buxton needs to unlock the best part of himself this season. A 34.6% chase rate has room to go down, and finding the range to achieve more productive contact will require it to do so. Given how well he is striking it when making contact, there is plenty to be excited about here when everything clicks.
At the end of the day, the totality of what Buxton has shown us in the early going is incredibly exciting. He has played in all nine of the team's games this season and started seven of them in center field. The training wheels are fully off, and the bat is back to doing damage when making contact. There is still plenty of room to grow, but plainly, this is an entirely different player from the one we saw last season.
If the Twins lineup is going to turn it around, it will be largely because of the performance that Buxton can put forth. If early returns are to be believed though, he’s back, and that’s great for everyone involved. In the meantime, as we wait for the team to pull out of an early tailspin, the catch he made Monday night stands as a vivid reminder of the value he holds, to that clubhouse, to the team on the field, and to Twins fans.
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- ToddlerHarmon, DocBauer, 4twinsJA and 1 other
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