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Byron Buxton didn’t exactly announce his presence with authority during his first stint in the majors. Of course that’s nothing new -- even for the game’s most elite prospects find the transition to baseball’s highest level challenging. What turns the game’s most elite prospects into the game’s most elite players are adjustments. The question for Buxton is, how quickly will he adjust?Age: 22 (DOB: 12/28/1993) 2014 Stats (AA/AAA/MLB): .276/.333/.447 (.779) with 17 doubles, 14 triples, 9 HR ETA: 2016 2014 Ranking: 1 // 2015 Ranking: 1 National Rankings BA: 2 MLB: 2 BP: 2 What's To Like “Buxton has more tools than HGTV -- is one shecky way to describe his potential. He has plus speed, plus defense, plus hit tool, plus makeup and so on…” is how I described Buxton when he was named the number one Twins Daily prospect last year and nothing has changed since. In the tool shed, speed is the most obvious as he demonstrated on the bases (103 stolen bases in 134 attempts in his career) and in the outfield (so many balls caught). Speed might be underselling what provides the most clear and present path to the starting lineup in 2016. His hit tool was a work in progress as he faced superior competition (read: OH MY GOD THAT SLIDER BENT THE LAWS OF SPACE AND TIME), but his ability to cover the real estate between Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario will be critical to the team’s success. Eventually his bat will become a focal point and the Twins don’t think that it is that far off. “He was better as the months of August and September progressed,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said in regard to Buxton’s offense. “Even in pre-game, you could see a little bit of that. He was driving baseballs rather than just touching them. He hit a couple home runs, whatever he did.” Power may be the last facet to manifest as some evaluators believe he has 15+ home run potential in that tall frame. Like Ryan said, in September Buxton displayed some impressive opposite field power in Cleveland, sending a shot over the right center Progressive Field wall. So while double-digit dingers could be obtainable, his legs will also be generating his extra bases as a ball in the gap is an almost a sure-fire triple for Buxton. Speed kills, everyone. What's Left To Work On “I readily admit that I rushed him the first crack because we got stuck in the center field spot,” Ryan said of the decision to promote Buxton in early July. “Then he hurt his thumb which was the worst thing that could have happened.” In the grand scheme of life, it wasn’t the worst thing could have happened in 2015 (I mean, global nuclear winter seems slightly worse than one individual’s broken thumb but what do I know, I’m a stupid blogger) however it certainly didn’t help Byron Buxton’s baseball career. Buxton’s all-out hustle has led to several grotesque injuries that have stunted his development to some degree but the good news is that none of his previous injuries have been of the recurring/career-altering nature. Nevertheless, Buxton could use an unadulterated year of playing baseball instead of recovering. An uninterrupted season would also help him solve breaking balls. Sliders specifically seemed to be a foreign object to him. The root problem during his stretch with the Twins was that he was constantly behind in the count. Of his 138 plate appearances, just 27 of those ended in a hitter’s count but another 75 ended in a pitcher’s count. When you are behind as frequently as he was, he is going to face a disproportionate amount of breaking stuff until he can prove he can handle it. Working counts and capitalizing in hitter’s counts are all things that come with experience and, as Ryan mentioned, Buxton did show progress once he was finally healthy and getting regular at-bats. What's Next The Twins have been coy about Buxton’s immediate future. Both the front office and Paul Molitor have placed the burden of winning the center fielder job on Buxton. Is it possible that he spends some time in Rochester? Certainly. The Twins have suggested that Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler are capable of playing the position and their recent experience with Aaron Hicks in center should give them reason for caution. The main takeaway is that Buxton’s struggles should not dim his star going forward. --- TD Top Prospect #10: Nick Burdi TD Top Prospect #9: Kohl Stewart TD Top Prospect #8: Alex Meyer TD Top Prospect #7: Jorge Polanco TD Top Prospect #6: Stephen Gonsalves TD Top Prospect #5: Tyler Jay TD Top Prospect #4: Nick Gordon TD Top Prospect #3: Max Kepler TD Top Prospect #2: Jose Berrios Click here to view the article