Minnesota Twins slugger Byron Buxton may be streaky and owns a .231 batting average, but when he gets hot, the sun is cold compared to him.
The dual-threat star was recently named the Player of the Week in the American League after some amazing performances that included five home runs.
“Byron Buxton was named the AL Player of the Week after going 7-for-21 (.333) with five home runs, seven driven in and slugging 1.095 over the past six games. It’s the second time he’s earned this honor (last: Aug. 2017),” Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweeted.
Byron Buxton was named the AL Player of the Week after going 7-for-21 (.333) with five home runs, seven driven in and slugging 1.095 over the past six games.
It’s the second time he’s earned this honor (last: Aug. 2017).
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) June 13, 2022
Only a batter like Buxton (and New York Yankees’ Matt Carpenter, apparently) is capable of hitting extra-bases with 71 percent of his hits.
The Red-Hot Buxton Is Having An Incredible Season Once Again
The mercurial outfielder is already up to 17 home runs in the season, which is not that far from Aaron Judge‘s 24.
He still has some work to do if he wants to catch up, though.
In any case, Buxton’s performance is the primary driving factor behind the Twins’ return to contention.
They finished last in the AL Central last year, in large part because Buxton was injured for most of the year.
But he is healthy now, and so are the Twins’ playoff hopes.
Minnesota is currently ahead of other teams in the AL Central that were considered favorites to take the division, such as the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians.
Those three squads will probably be fighting for the division crown all year long.
It’s refreshing to see the Twins among the contenders group, and having Buxton healthy (and extended, too) is a big reason why.
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