Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Twins decided to go for broke in 2015 when they announced on Saturday that the top prospect in all of MLB, Byron Buxton, would be joining the team in time for Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers. The Twins have lost their grip on the AL Central division lead, and are currently mired in a five-game losing streak. Before the team falls out of playoff contention, the Twins decided to play the biggest card that they have, and bring up Buxton.
Buxton could be the next Mike Trout, or Bryce Harper, but he’s a much better defender than those two guys, and he has a lot more speed. His tools are second to none, the only question is if he can adjust to major league pitching. Buxton is skipping Triple-A completely, jumping from Double-A Chattanooga straight to the Twins. That’s a huge leap to make for a 21-year-old kid, but I think he’s ready for the big time.
In 2013, Buxton had a .334/.424/.530 slash line with 18 triples, 77 RBIs, and 55 stolen bases in only 125 games in Single-A. 2014 was essentially a lost year for Buxton as he suffered a wrist injury in Spring Training, and then had his season cut short by a concussion after colliding with a teammate in the outfield. He finished with a .234 average with two triples, four home runs, and 16 RBIs. This season however, Buxton was hitting .283/.351/.489 with 12 triples, 20 stolen bases, and 44 runs scored in 59 games at Double-A before his call-up.
I think the timing is perfect by the Twins’ front office. Sitting at 33-28, and losing five in a row, Buxton’s presence should inject some life into the team, and could ignite a big second-half for the Twins. The Twins are pushing all their chips to the middle on the 2015 season, and I think it will reward them in a big way.
Jason Fletcher is a MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.
