Ever since the Minnesota Twins sold off several players at last year’s trade deadline, speculation has increased about when it will be Byron Buxton’s time to leave the Twin Cities. But the 32-year-old centerfielder has never wavered in his desire to stay in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.
Even with consecutive years of potential losing seasons ahead for the Twins, Buxton has remained loyal to the organization in the midst of it all. The team is currently 15-20, last place in the mediocre AL Central, but Buxton is once again putting the team on his back.
Byron Buxton AL Player Of The Week
The longest-tenured Twin has been on fire recently, homering in three straight games against the Toronto Blue Jays as the two teams split a four-game set. Buxton is now slashing .254/.313/.530 on the season, good for a 129 OPS+. Over the last week, he has hit .345 while clubbing five homers, bringing his season-long total to 10.
It is the first award for Minnesota since Luke Keaschall won on August 11th of last season and the first award by a Twins outfielder since Buxton’s most recent award in 2022. Buxton is the sixth player to win at least three awards as a member of the Twins, joining Kent Hrbek (4x); Hall of Famer Joe Mauers (4x); Kirby Puckett (4x); and Rod Carew (3x); and Johan Santana (3x).
It has always been a matter of staying on the field for Buxton, as the combination of elite power, speed, and range in the outfield makes him one of the most dynamic players in baseball. He has only eclipsed 100 games played three times in his now 12-year career in the big leagues. Last season, Buxton suited up in 126 contests, his most since 2017, when he compiled 4.4 fWAR and was awarded the Platinum Glove as the American League’s best overall defender. Also in 2025, Buxton earned his second All-Star nod, first Silver Slugger Award, and finished 11th in AL MVP voting.
Buxton Competed In WBC For Team USA
Because of his skill set, Buxton participated in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Although he didn’t play much for Team USA, he managed to still work a walk and drive in a run across nine plate appearances during America’s run to the Championship game.
Over the years, the Twins have attempted to manage Buxton’s workload by giving him more slots as the designated hitter or increasing days off in general. But when he’s in the lineup, Buxton sets the tone as the team’s leadoff hitter and even sees a substantial jump in his numbers at Target Field.
His high-end traits are still evident, possessing above-average bat speed and an astounding 19.8% barrel rate to offset his frequent whiffs. Buxton’s propensity to pull the ball in the air has aided his production when he does make contact. And even this deep into his career, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft still has 97th percentile sprint speed while accumulating three outs above average in center.
On April 4, Buxton achieved one of the game’s rare feats, as he reached 10 years of service time. Most importantly, he did it all with the same organization. The Twins celebrated Buxton in the clubhouse the following day, and he talked about seeing guys like Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer do it before him and wanting to pass the baton to someone else in the future. With his consistent production and veteran leadership, Buxton is headed towards status as a franchise legend as someone who helped define this era of baseball in Minnesota.
How Did Byron Buxton Win AL Player of the Week?
The 32-year-old hit .345 (10-for-29) with five homers, seven RBI, a double, three walks, nine runs scored, two stolen bases, an .897 slugging percentage and a .406 on-base percentage across seven contests.
The Baxley, Georgia native led the Majors in home runs and total bases (26); tied for second in extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging; and eighth in OPS (1.303).
The two-time All-Star homered in five of his seven games, going deep in three consecutive games to open Minnesota’s four-game set against Toronto. It marked the sixth time in Buxton’s career that he homered in three consecutive games and the first time since last June. His home run on Saturday marked the 21st leadoff homer of his career, surpassing Jacque Jones for the second-most in Twins’ franchise history (since 1961), now trailing only Brian Dozier (28 leadoff HR).
The 2025 Silver Slugger, who was a member of Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, hit a home run and tallied a stolen base on Tuesday against Seattle, marking his 18th career game with a home run and a stolen base. His 18 games are second-most in Twins’ history, trailing only Torii Hunter, who had 19 career games as a member of the Twins in which he homered and stole a base.
The second overall pick of the 2012 Draft hit safely in seven consecutive games from April 25th-May 2nd, matching the sixth-longest hitting streak of his career and longest since a seven-game streak last year. Buxton, who has appeared in 930 career games with Minnesota, reached 10 years of service time on April 5th. His 178 career homers are ninth-most in Twins’ franchise history (since 1961).
