MLB: The most valuable center fielders of 2019
By Bill Felber
MLB: The most valuable center fielders of 2019
9. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins, $6.558 million value; $1.75 million salary
The offensive numbers have never risen to the levels projected for him when he was a top prospect in mid-decade, but they’re playable. He batted .262 with a 114 OPS in 2019.
The problem, as it has often been for Buxton, was getting him on the field. Injuries limited Buxton to just six appearances after Aug. 1, allowing him to build up only 295 plate appearances for the season. In his five big league seasons, he has only once gotten 350 plate appearances.
Since several of our rating factors, notably WAR and innings, are linked to playing time, Buxton’s rating suffers for his absence.
As it is, his 3.1 WAR equals the ninth-best at his position, amounting to $4.122 million in actual value. His .991 fielding average is solid enough to rank 12th, and that in combination with his 2.89 chances per nine innings – the position’s fourth-best range – combine to add a bit more than $2 million to his value.
Playing time is an obvious issue. Buxton took the field for just 692 innings in 2019, putting him among the position’s bottom quarter. No other center fielder in the overall top 20 saw that little action.
Fortunately for Buxton, playing time only occupies 10 percent of the rating’s weight, enabling him to hold his spot in the elite 10.