Byron Buxton Still Has Time to Be the Next Kirby Puckett

I think some people forget how young Buxton still is. Some were ready to give up on this guy way too early.

I think he’s going to have a big year and finally prove a lot of people wrong.

Would be great to see him put it all together and stay healthy all season. I have my doubts whether he'll ever be able to put it all together offensively but he could still be a very good player if he can just stay on the field and produce some value offensively. Definitely an exciting guy to watch.

He was producing at a pretty high level last year before injuries de-railed him. So yeah, I think health is the main issue. Stay healthy he gives himself a chance to be really productive.

"He's still young" - well, by baseball standards I don't think that's true any longer. I think Twins fans are the only people that still think of Bux this way, and frankly it seems a bit naive, kinda like how little kids notice a limp on the aging family dog and say "Buster's still young, he's got plenty of good years in him, right Dad?"

Francisco Lindor. Correa. Bellinger, Acuna, Bregman, Soto, Shane Beiber, Jack Flaherty, Gleybar Torres, Shohei Ohtani....Jose Berrios....these are just a handful of players younger than Buxton, but one could keep going all day.  You get the idea.

Can Buxton still become a force in MLB? Absolutely. Can he finally have that breakout season we've been waiting for since 2012? Definitely. Do I want him to succeed more than anything? YES! Will I be drafting him as a "sleeper pick" way too early in my fantasy baseball draft? Obviously!

Let's agree to stop pretending he's just a kid. He's got a decent amount of MLB experience under his belt, and believe it or not I think he's going to end up providing good veteran leadership for guys like Lewis before it's all said and done.

  On 2/24/2020 at 3:10 AM, Brock Beauchamp said:

Stop. Hitting. Walls. Byron.

 

He could easily be a $200m player on the open market if he stops hurting himself. Last season showed just how devastating he can be when healthy and hitting.

Or somehow he has to figure out how to take glancing blows off the walls instead of direct hits? I mean Jackie Bradley and Kevin Kiermeier seem to run into the walls a lot but they seem to stay healthy?? So maybe they hit the walls differently than Byron?? IDK, I guess I'm grasping for something because the high flying defense is definitely a part of his game, so how to accomplish that and still stay healthy is the objective I would think?

He certainly is gaining valuable experience at such a young age.  Let's hope he can play 150+ games in '20.  WIN TWINS!

  On 2/24/2020 at 1:48 PM, Twodogs said:

Or somehow he has to figure out how to take glancing blows off the walls instead of direct hits? I mean Jackie Bradley and Kevin Kiermeier seem to run into the walls a lot but they seem to stay healthy?? So maybe they hit the walls differently than Byron?? IDK, I guess I'm grasping for something because the high flying defense is definitely a part of his game, so how to accomplish that and still stay healthy is the objective I would think?

I think Kiermeir and Bradley often get to the wall more quickly, so they can time their jump and/or prepare for impact.

Or, it's possible that Kiermeir and Bradley aren't as fast as Buxton, and thus aren't in a position to even make an attempt on those balls.

Who knows! I think we're all scratching our heads!

Buxton has so much potential! When he`s in the game things happen, we are a different team when he`s in the the game, a real impact player. I believe he`ll figure it all out & become that great player. 

Age 25 is when most mortals make their MLB debut.

A couple weeks back Rocco was talking about having him play a little deeper and use his speed to come in rather than go back. It would trade a few singles for getting to the wall with time to check up, which I think everyone would take.

Kirby Puckett never played in under 145 games 9 years in a row.  That alone makes this hopeful comparison completely off base, in my opinion.  He isn't going to suddenly develop into a durable player, and in fact, as he goes into his 26 year old season he is player entering his statistical prime.   For a first round pick with such hype he has a .292 OBP and he is supposed to be a speed guy!

When I see Buxton, I do not see Kirby Puckett.  I see Mike Cameron--so far