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Minnesota Twins Recall Byron Buxton

By Eric Roseberry

Apr 21, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) scores on a sacrifice fly as Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) waits for the ball in the eighth inning at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) scores on a sacrifice fly as Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) waits for the ball in the eighth inning at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Minnesota Twins are recalling top prospect Byron Buxton. Will he find success with the Twins after a disappointing start to the season?

On Monday the Minnesota Twins announced that they were recalling Byron Buxton from Triple-A Rochester. As Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com notes the decision was made after outfielder Danny Santana went to the 15-day DL with a “left hamstring strain.” Buxton is expected to be with the team on Tuesday in Oakland.

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Buxton started the season on the Twins major league roster, but he was sent down after 17 games because of struggles at the plate. He opened the year hitting .156/.208/.289 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, and 2 SB. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports points out that at the time Buxton was demoted, he had the highest strikeout rate in baseball for hitters with at least 40 plate appearances at 49%. Buxton’s struggle to make contact was attributed to an inability to “recognize high-end breaking stuff.”

Are there reasons to believe that this stint with the Twins will be any different? Buxton’s numbers while in Triple-A provide some hope. Since his demotion Buxton was hitting .333/.402/.605, and his K% in Triple-A was a more reasonable 19.7%. Those numbers aren’t too far off from how Buxton performed between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

Since his time with the Twins Rookie League team in 2012, Buxton has shown an ability to hit minor league pitching. Will he be able to take the next step and transfer that success to the major league level? That’s the question that remains unanswered at this point. Israel Fehr of Big League Stew notes that this is a good season for Minnesota to give Buxton a long leash and let him try to figure things out. “The Twins are by far the worst team in the American League and at this point don’t have much to lose by letting Buxton figure out how to succeed in the big leagues.”

The Twins took Buxton with the second pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. Since that time fans eagerly anticipated his arrival in the majors. Prior to the 2015 season Buxton was regarded as the #2 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, #1 by MLB.com, and #1 by Baseball Prospectus. From an early age Buxton has carried the weight of high expectations.

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When he was called up in 2015 Christopher Crawford and Mike Gianella of Baseball Prospectus offered a helpful scouting summary of the young prospect. They labeled him a “five-tool prospect” who possessed a good hit tool and “elite speed.” Beyond that, they highlighted Buxton’s potential to play “plus-plus defense” with a good arm. It’s obvious why fans and scouts alike have long been enamored by Buxton. From a skills prospective, there’s a lot to dream on.

Will Buxton’s latest stint in the majors produce a different result? That’s a question he will begin to answer on Tuesday night.

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