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Last season didn’t go exactly as planned for the Minnesota Twins and Byron Buxton, but the 2016 campaign is filled with hope and promise just like the youngster. After all, despite a rough rookie season, Buxton is still loaded with talent, and baseball’s top prospect prior to last season will get every chance to prove himself in 2016. He will truly be the key to the Twins’ season.
Buxton’s struggles last season were over only 46 games, hardly enough to draw any conclusions. There is no reason to believe Buxton won’t be the player he was in Double-A and Triple-A last year when he slashed .305/.367/.500 with seven home runs, 45 RBIs, 55 runs scored, 13 triples and 22 steals. He is a legit top of the order bat, and the Twins plan on giving him every opportunity to prove he is ready for the MLB level.
It is because of that the Twins’ 2016 season will hinge greatly on how quickly Buxton gets a handle on things in MLB. They can’t expect him to just step in and rake from day one, but he will need to show something in order for the Twins to challenge for the AL Central crown. Last season saw them finish 12 games behind the Kansas City Royals with an 83-79 record. Adding Byung Ho Park and potentially Miguel Sano to the lineup should ease some of the pressure on Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer.
It might be unfair to saddle a rookie who has 46 career games under his belt with being the key to a season, but the truth is he is just that for the Twins this year. He is good enough to become an All-Star at this level, and the sooner he gets a handle on things the higher the hopes for the Twins this season. They don’t need him to be a superstar; they just need Buxton to be slightly above league average on offense and to play defense like he can. If Buxton gets a handle early and plays to his talent, then the Twins might just be shocking people this year.
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