Byron Buxton, Outfield, Minnesota Twins, #25

Date of Birth: 12/18/1993
Birthplace: Baxley, Georgia

Byron Buxton, outfielder for the Minnesota Twins, started playing baseball at the age of six. In 2012, when he was drafted by the Twins, he was rated the best prospect in the MLB draft.

Buxton played in the Twins' minor league system from 2012 through 2014. He had his best season in 2013, when he was named the Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. That season, he batted .334 with 163 hits, 19 doubles, 18 triples, 12 home runs, 55 stolen bases, and 77 RBIs in 125 games. He suffered from injuries in 2014 that limited his minor league play to just 31 games.

Buxton joined the Twins for 46 games in 2015. During that time, he batted .209 with 27 hits. He also played in 72 games in the minors.

As a minor league player from 2012 through 2015, Buxton had 322 hits, 94 stolen bases, 158 RBIs, and 245 strikeouts to 135 walks in 276 games. Defensively, he played 258 games in center field and he had 662 putouts and 8 errors.

In 2016, Buxton played in 92 games with the Twins. He finished the season with 67 hits, 19 doubles, 38 RBIs, and a .225 batting average. Defensively, as the Twins' center fielder in 136 games, he made 358 putouts and 4 errors.

Buxton had a good first full season in the majors in 2017, batting .253 in 140 games. He finished the season with 117 hits, 14 doubles, 16 home runs, 41 RBIs, 29 stolen bases, and 150 strikeouts to 38 walks. Defensively, as the Twins' center fielder, he made 389 putouts and 5 errors. His excellent fielding earned him his first Gold Glove. In the Wild Card game, he had no hits in 2 at-bats.

Buxton spent time on the DL and in the minors in 2018. He played in 28 games with the Twins, batting just .156.

Buxton was on the DL again in 2019. He finished the season with 71 hits, 30 doubles, 46 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, 68 strikeouts to 19 walks, and a .262 batting average in 87 games. Defensively, as a center fielder in 86 games, he made 217 putouts and 2 errors. He didn't play in the postseason.

Buxton played in 39 games in 2020. He finished the season with 33 hits, 3 doubles, 13 home runs, 27 RBIs, 36 strikeouts to 2 walks, and a .254 batting average. Defensively, he played all 39 games in center field. In the postseason, he had 1 hit in 4 at-bats in 2 games.

Buxton spent time on the IL in 2021 with a right hip strain and a left hand fracture. He finished the season with 72 hits, 23 doubles, 19 home runs, 32 RBIs, 62 strikeouts to 13 walks, and a .306 batting average in 61 games.

On November 28, 2021, the Twins gave Buxton a seven year, $100 million contract extension.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Byron Buxton
Baseball Reference - Byron Buxton