Byron Buxton is set to begin his rehab stint in Triple-A St. Paul with the hopes of returning to the Big League club this weekend. Buxton has been seen running at 100 percent. If all goes well, he should return to the Twins’ lineup for their weekend series in Minnesota against Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros.
He will look to reclaim the starting job in centerfield for the American League All-Star team and put his name back in the conversation for Most Valuable Player.
Buxton came out the gate throwing harder haymakers than Ali to begin this season. It seemed he had finally put all five tools together as he hit .370 with nine home runs, 17 RBI and five stolen bases in his first 24 games of the year.
In April, he was awarded the AL Player of the Month Award after batting .426 with a .466 On Base Percentage, eight home runs, 14 RBI, 15 Runs Scored and three steals. He also set Twins’ franchise records for March and April in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
His defensive play in centerfield had him on his way to winning the first Gold Glove of his career. On May 6, Buxton hit a grounder to the shortstop in the late innings of what would end up being a loss to the Texas Rangers.
Buxton has always been a hustler as he has beaten out multiple routine plays throughout his career.
This time as Buxton crossed first base it was apparent something was wrong. He did not return to the game and ended up having a Grade 2 right hip strain, which put him on the Injured List for the last 30 games.
His absence has truly shown how valuable Buxton truly is to Minnesota. Buxton had a Wins Above Replacement rating of 2.7 before his injury, good for third in MLB. Marcus Semien, who won the AL Player of the Month for May, is tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for first in the American League with a WAR of 3.1.
The Twins were sitting in first before Buxton went down and since then are 13-17 and have fallen into last place, 12 games behind the first-place White Sox in the AL Central.
Buxton is returning just in time to have his name in conversations to be at this year’s All-Star Game next month in Denver. Fan voting determines the starting lineup for each division while the managers decide on the rest of the rosters.
I believe the fans will handle their business and vote Buxton as the centerfield starter despite him missing time with a few injuries this season.
The All-Star Game is a collection of the greatest talent in the sport, and fans will be cheated if they are not able to see Buxton chase down balls in centerfield while hitting home runs out of the launching pad that is Coors Field.
LaMonte Wade Jr. is a hidden gem in San Francisco Giants organization. The 27-year-old outfielder is in his first season with the Giants and he has immediately made an impact on the team.
In his last game, he hit his first home run of the 2021 season as that helped the Giants defeat the LA Angels 6-1.
Through nine games this season, Wade Jr. has been on a tear. He’s batting .350 while slugging .550.
He missed some time during the season due to an oblique strain, but he returned in full force. Giants manager Gabe Kapler did not waste any time putting Wade Jr. in the lineup when he returned from his injury.
“We’re going to give Wade a chance to play and see how he looks,” Kapler said in an article from the San Francisco Chronicle. “He was swinging the bat very well when he went on the IL, and we want to give him an opportunity to show us what he can do.”
This guy has some versatility as well. Not only can he play the outfield, but he can also play first base. He’s already made it known that he knows how to hit. His debut with the Giants was one to remember.
MLBbro went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in his first game against the Colorado Rockies. Now that’s how you make an appearance to your new team right there.
When Wade Jr. has heard his name called, he’s stepped up so far this season. He’s on a five-game hitting streak and though he’s not an everyday player, he’s making a name for himself.
The Giants will have no choice but to find a place for Wade Jr. in the lineup if he continues to have this kind of success at the plate.
The Giants won their first game of the season against the Dodgers!
LaMonte Wade Jr. delivered the go-ahead hit in extras.
In 2019, Wade Jr. made his MLB debut. The Twins promoted him to the big league roster and he appeared in his first game on June 28 against the Chicago White Sox. He played in 26 games, finishing with a .196 batting average.
The next season he saw his batting average increase during the shortened season. He finished with a .231 batting average through 16 games.
The Twins selected Wade Jr. in the ninth round of the 2015 draft. Our MLBbro put together an impressive performance during his time in the minors. In 2016, he started in the Midwest League All-Star Game. That season he finished the season batting .293 and hit eight home runs.
The years later he was named a Southern League mid-season All-Star and was promoted to the Rochester Red Wings of the Class AAA International League in June of 2018.
This man was one of the top prospects in the Twins’ organization and he put the work in to get that recognition.
The Twins traded Wade Jr. to the Giants earlier this year and right now it’s certainly looking like the Giants are benefitting from that trade.
Don’t be surprised to see more of Wade Jr. in the lineup for the Giants as he continues to swing a hot stick.
Every player’s path to the MLB is different and that feeling when you finally make it is one that is indescribable for some.
One of our MLBbros made his MLB debut this season and had a game to remember. Nick Gordon played his first game for the Minnesota Twins on May 6th against the Texas Rangers.
Gordon put together an impressive performance in his debut. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and had two stolen bases. This brother wanted to make sure that Twins fans and MLB fans would know who he is.
Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli was pleased with Gordon’s performance.
“He seemed to be playing pretty confidently from the start,” Baldelli told the StarTribune. “He was not hesitant. He went out there and made some things happen for us. He played a great game.”
Gordon, just 25, talked about that feeling of finally making it and being on that big stage.
“But to feel it all for yourself, it’s definitely a different feeling,” he said. “It’s a kid in a candy store. It’s definitely something I can’t really explain it. I wish everyone had this feeling. It’s definitely a great feeling, it’s great to be here and be a part of the team and everything.”
Now that last name may sound familiar to some. Gordon is the half-brother of Dee-Strange Gordon, who recently signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday and has spent 10 seasons in the league.
Gordon’s father is former MLB All-Star and World Series champion, Tom “Flash” Gordon. He had a successful pitching career from 1988 to 2009.
So you see baseball is the sport that the Gordon’s fell in love with and have had a lot of success playing.
For Nick Gordon, he’s trying to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps and play in the league for numerous seasons.
So far he’s only appeared in two games during the 2021 season, going 0-for-2 in his recent game on May 24th.
The Twins have given Nick Gordon the runaround this season as he’s gone back and forth from the minors to the big leagues on multiple occasions.
What the Twins need to do is give him a chance and see how he performs in multiple series. Have him play each game of a series and not just one game. And they have no business sending him back to the minors because he’s already proven himself playing there.
Nick has only had one season in the minors where he batted below .250.
He’s been consistent throughout his minor-league career, posting a .277 batting average and a .331 on-base percentage.
Nick Gordon was the fifth overall pick by the Twins in the 2014 MLB draft. He was one of the top prospects coming into the draft and he put the work in throughout his minor-league career.
It’s a grind making it to the big leagues and not everyone gets that opportunity. Now that Nick Gordon has that first game under his belt, he has a feel of what the game is like at that top level.
And with his talent and skill set, he’ll have no problem adjusting. All the Twins need to do is give our MLB bro a chance to establish himself and show the league why the Gordon Family has had success in pro baseball.
Minnesota Twins outfielder and MLB Bro Byron Buxton had a sensational start to the regular season and capped it with the American League Player of the Month award for April.
Buxton took his place among some of the all-time great outfielders in Twins history by earning the honor of best player in the opening month of the season.
MLBbro.com Assistant Managing Editor Mark Gray checks in on what may prove to be Buxton’s breakout month.
Byron Buxton’s scalding hot bat has no freeze. This video alone shows you how Buxton has the potential to completely wreck a game by turning singles into doubles and being versatile with his hitting approach, able to bash or make contact and utilize his blinding speed.
His Wednesday was something special as he went 5-for-5 and his Minnesota Twins squad, who have the fewest wins in MLB, thrashed Cleveland.
He’s proving to be the total package.
When MLBbro.com told you that the former No. 2 overall pick was looking like an MVP candidate and then referred to MLB Network’s Joel Sherman as the original source of such a proclamation, we got attacked by a couple of trolls who felt it was too early to anoint a guy with a lifetime batting average below .250, as the best player in the game this season.
Fast forward to the 25-game mark and it’s clear to everyone analyzing Buxton’s development that he’s not just on a hot streak. He’s matured as a player. The five-tool athlete with unlimited potential is finally ascending to official superstar status nine years after his Draft Day.
You just never know with baseball.
Coming into Wednesday’s game, Buxton owned a 2021 slash line of .390/.429/.847. Now he’s at an eye-popping.429/.463/.921, and at the moment his eight home runs tie him for the MLB lead.
It’s gotten so legendary for Buxton that people are mentioning him in the same breath as Kirby Puckett, the great Hall of Famer and two-time World Series champion.
Until today, that seemed far-fetched. Buxton is probably close to Puckett’s equal with the glove, although he doesn’t have Kirby’s ups, but as a hitter, Kirby was head and shoulders better,
However, the maturation of Byron Buxton has become a movie, where blinking could cause you to miss the kid from Baxley, Ga. becoming a mature, patient assassin at the plate.
He started off hot with two nukes in his first two games and despite a brief injury setback, he hasn’t missed a beat.
