Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
Buxton appeared to experience a turning point in 2017. He stayed healthy and on the big-league roster for most of the year (140 games played), and while his season-long wRC+ settled in at 90, his bat came alive in the second half and his defense helped him accumulate 3.5 fWAR.
That wasn’t the case after watching him go through injuries, rough performances, and substantial time in Triple-A this past season. He only racked up 94 plate appearances with Minnesota, which led to a paltry .156/.183/.200 line. His offense was worth -3 wRC+ and he produced -0.4 fWAR overall.
The health issues led the 25-year-old to bring a new focus to offseason workouts. It worked, as he gained 21 pounds of muscle during the winter. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any impact on his speed here — Buxton swiped 29 bases while also posting 24 DRS in 2017.
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