At this point, I think we should be accustomed to Byron Buxton’s slow starts. In each of his first two full Major League seasons, Buxton scuffled for the first couple of months of the year, and then turned it on for the final 2/3rds. Here we are again, 20 games into the 2018 season and Buxton is hitting .167, and causing all of Twins territory to ring their hands and wonder if he is ever going to figure it out.
Yes, he is. If history is any indication, he will do so around the beginning of July. For his career, he is a .205 hitter in the first half and a .262 hitter in the second half. He’ll come around, as he has done time and again. And you know what? In the mean time, his glove and his speed play in the majors.
Despite his terrible offensive start, his WAR is about even, meaning his glove over the scant 20 games played has overcome the negative offensive value. Last year, after the bat, only there for the second half, came around to go along with the glove, he ended up with a the second highest WAR on the team, behind only Brian Dozier.
The Twins and the fans would obviously appreciate it if Buxton could get his bat going earlier in the season, but migraines and a busted toe probably didn’t help. On the other hand, Buxton’s value in the field is still there, and he has a track record of breaking out of slumps. I’m not going to wring my hands over Buxton this orr any other year when he has yet to reach the Mendoza line by Memorial Day. He’s still valuable, and is still one of the most valuable players on the team.
Now, Miguel Sano on the other hand….
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