After I was disappointed by Buxton injuring his groin I decided to go take a look at how his month of July was up until that point because it "felt" like he was hitting the ball really well.

 

Well my feelings were right.  Since July 1 until he was pulled on July 14 he had a .387/.457/.516 slash line.  I know, I know small sample size.  But a nice 2 week run.

 

So I decided to dig deeper.

 

Going back to May 1 when people thought he started to figure it out he has hit .243/306/.360.  Not great but acceptable with his level of defense and speed on the base paths. 

 

So then I thought I would go back to April Game 16 - The last day his batting average was below .100.  Surprisingly he is hitting .250/.328/.356 since that point.  The power is lacking but a .250 batting average is ok and would be middle of the pack on this team.  The other thing is he has only struck out 26% of his at bats since game 15 - 62 times.

 

In the first 15 games he struck out 24 times alone.

 

I really don't have a reason for this post. But it really does state how dreadful Buxton was in the first 2 weeks of the season.  And in actuality how average offensively he has been since that point.

 

The last 70 games give me hope.  Everyone has mentioned it is a process and it seems to be working.  

 

If the power starts to develop more consistently with his new toe could we see a monster last 2+ months of the season from Byron?

 

 

A big thing for Buxton too is getting on base. He doesn't need a bunch of hits as long as he can start to show a better ability to take walks, because any time his speed is on the base paths he's helping this team.

I will say this: I absolutely miss watching Byron Buxton play baseball.

 

Sure, he might pop up or strike out. But the prospect that he could get a double off a routine hit to the gap or that he might steal second or that he might make a spectacular catch makes the Twins more worth watching. 

 

He seems to be figuring some things out. So perhaps it's just a two-week blip, but it's much better than a no-week blip.

So then I thought I would go back to April Game 16 - The last day his batting average was below .100.  Surprisingly he is hitting .250/.328/.356 since that point.

 

I agree with youngtwinsfan. His OBP in this time frame is roughly league average (slightly above?). Having him on the base paths is a really good thing for the Twins.

 

Encouraging. I'm not ready to say he has 'arrived', but these data points are encouraging.

I don't care so much about the power.   When he gets on, Dozier, Mauer and Sano see more fast balls in addition to the simple distraction to the pitcher of having a guy like that on base.    I do think we are going to see a monster stretch at some point and to me that would be a stretch of getting on base .380 or better.. I still think Buxton, Mauer, Dozier, Sano and Kepler will be a fearsome thing at some point.   

I'll take a .250 BA from Buxton all day long. Especially since he provides elite defense and base-running. This is very encouraging. 

 

 

I really don't have a reason for this post. But it really does state how dreadful Buxton was in the first 2 weeks of the season.  And in actuality how average offensively he has been since that point.

 

 

This is why I felt starting the year with him in the #3 spot was a huge mistake, despite how he had done in Spring Training.

 

They doomed him from the start.

Just think when a guy has a first month where they hit .350 they can be below average for the rest of the season and still look pretty decent at the end of the year. Fast starts always makes things look good.

 

Just think when a guy has a first month where they hit .350 they can be below average for the rest of the season and still look pretty decent at the end of the year. Fast starts always makes things look good.

Obviously it goes both ways.  When you bat .100 the first month you be above average the rest of the season and not look to great to end it.

Obviously it goes both ways. When you bat .100 the first month you be above average the rest of the season and not look to great to end it.

Yeah, that's why I brought it up, Buxton was Soooo bad to start the season that he has had to have had some really good stretches just to get to where he is. It says something, he hasn't done that bad, if you take away the first month.

Loosey, that's some pretty good ''splaining you just did.

I pulled these stats on June 24, comparing Hicks and Buxton heading in opposite directions. They kind of illustrate some of the above points.

 

Hicks last 30 games: 261/344/441/(782)

Buxton: 253/304/347/(655)

Hicks last 10 games: 194/310/278/(588)

Buxton: 258/343/387(730)

 

Hicks' Last 20 games since a 4/5, 3-2B, 6 rbi game on June 1: .220 BA, 6 2B, 3 HR (2 in one game)

 

Of course, they're both currently hurt. I expect Buxton to come out raking.