Byron Buxton is an interesting study. The man has all the tools in the world to be one of the most electric outfielders on any current roster in the Majors. Unfortunately, Buxton has yet to put it together on a consistent basis but he does have the luxury of time on his side.
At just 26 years old, Buxton has just enough time to figure his exact role out, whether it be leading off as a centerfielder, hitting towards the end of the lineup, or a fourth outfielder that’ll play all three outfield spots.
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While he’d be a nice addition to the squad, he won’t come cheap after coming off of a season where he put together a 1.9 WAR. However, if the centerfielder wants to start at the top of the lineup, he desperately needs to learn how to get on base more… and we mean a lot more.
His slash line in 2020 was .254/.267/.577/.844 with three doubles and a whopping 13 home runs, which is only three short of his career high. So while he’s having difficulties getting on base via the walk, he’s clearly mashing the ball.
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Also, with 62 career steals in 71 tries under his belt, he’s going to swipes a bunch of bags regardless of where he is hitting in the lineup.
With prospect Akil Baddoo slated to take over centerfield for the Twins, sometime in the near future (2021 ETA). This makes Buxton a bit more expendable and the Mets are a decent match.
Even though Buxton is a career .238/.289/.430/.719 hitter, he should provide top notch defense in centerfield as well as both of the corner spots and a tremendous amount of speed on the base paths. He just needs to get on more.
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