MLB: Early Season Trends We Do and Don’t Want to See Continue
By Jim Turvey
Bad: Byron Buxton as lost as ever at the plate
As a low-key Twins fan, this one is especially painful to watch. Despite the strong start in Minnesota to begin the season, Twins fans still have reason to be in woe-is-me mode (the default setting for Twins fans). Byron Buxton, the team’s prized prospect and former number one overall pick, is slashing just .091/.130/.136 to start the season, with a swinging bunt off Chris Young being his only hit before a double on Saturday.
This may be more than just a fluke five-game sample size to start the season, too. Buxton has struck out 13 times in those first five games, an outrageous K rate of 56.5 percent. In fact, Buxton has consistently seen his K rate go up each stint in the big leagues, a troubling sign for a young player who should begin adjusting to MLB pitching instead of the other way around. Pitchers are beginning to realize that he simply cannot lay off the low-and-away slider, and his 46 percent swing rate on pitches outside of the zone is in the bottom ten around baseball this young season.
There’s obviously still plenty of time to go in 2017, and Buxton should be given plenty of chances this season given the fact that his glove still makes him valueable even when he can’t hit worth a lick. That being said, even the best fielders of all time can’t hold on to MLB roster spots if they can’t reach the Mendoza line.
As noted, Buxton did get his first extra base hit of the season in his most recent game, and he does have that beastly September, 2016 to point to in regards to what he can do if he ever figures things out (or more cynically: if he ever gets to face the bloated rosters of September again…), but it would be great to see some real progress by the end of April.