The Minnesota Twins got off to about as bad of a start to the 2016 MLB season as they ever could have imagined. Minnesota lost their first nine games of the season, which is especially frustrating when you consider this is a team that hoped they could be in the playoff hunt with some of the young talent they have brought up.
The good news is that the Twins have gone 7-6 since that 0-9 start, but they are still in last place in the Al Central. Minnesota has had one of the top farm systems in all of baseball for some time now, so it was assumed that they would be good soon, but just because players are good prospects in the minors doesn't mean that they will live up to that hype in the majors. Miguel Sano looks to be the real deal, as he is a legitimate power threat, but the jury is still out on Byron Buxton, who was supposed to be their top guy.
Buxton started the season off in the majors with the Twins as their everyday center fielder but was recently optioned to the minors after he got off to a rough start at the plate. Buxton got 45 at-bats to start the year but only had seven hits in those at-bats, which is a measly .156 batting average. The 22-year-old outfielder has a really good combination of tools, as he has speed, some power and defensive ability, but he has yet to put it together in the pros.
Even though Buxton has struggled in his two short stints in the majors, the Twins should not give up on him. Buxton has been one of the best prospects in baseball since before the 2013 season, and his stock has continued to rise. Buxton had a great 2015 season in the minors, hitting .305 before being called up by the Twins.
With guys like Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor coming up last year and making instant impacts, it's easy to think that Buxton is a bust already, but it must be remembered that guys take different amounts of time to adjust to the big leagues. Buxton has less than 200 at-bats at the major league level and has shown some signs in that time. Last season, although he only hit .209, one-third of Buxton's hits were for extra bases, including two home runs.
Let's not forget that even Mike Trout, who is the best player in baseball right now, struggled when he was first called up. Before Trout went on a run of finishing in the top-two in MVP voting four straight years, he had a rough patch in 2011 when he hit just .220 in 123 at-bats. Yes, Buxton has had more at-bats than Trout did before he broke out, but Trout is just a reference to show that sometimes, these things take time.
Twins fans have every right to be frustrated with Buxton, as he is their top prospect, of whom a lot was expected. The Twins were also very warranted in sending him down to the minors so he could work on some things, but giving up on him now is not the right thing to do. The tools are there for the young center fielder, and at the very least, he is a plus defender in a key position. Given more time, though, his offense should come around, and when it does, Minnesota will be happy that they stuck with the youngster.
