Byron Buxton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Byron Buxton |
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Buxton with the Minnesota Twins in 2025.
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| Minnesota Twins – No. 25 | |||
| Center fielder / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: December 18, 1993 Baxley, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 14, 2015, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| MLB statistics (through July 26, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 156 | ||
| Runs batted in | 412 | ||
| Stolen bases | 110 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Byron Keiron Buxton (born December 18, 1993) is an American professional baseball player. He plays as a center fielder and designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Many baseball experts thought Buxton was the most talented player in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He was chosen as the second player overall. In 2013, he won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award. Buxton started playing in MLB in 2015. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2017 and has been an All-Star twice.
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Byron Buxton's Early Baseball Days
Buxton began playing baseball when he was six years old. He went to Appling County High School in Baxley, Georgia. There, he played baseball, basketball, and football. During high school, people called him "Buck."
As a pitcher in his final year, he had a great record of 10 wins and 1 loss. His earned run average was 1.90, and he had 154 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched. Buxton could also throw a fastball at 99 miles per hour! His amazing speed earned him a very high speed rating of 70 before the draft.
Baseball scouts first noticed Buxton when he was 15. He was asked to play on a special summer travel team. He also showed off his skills at big baseball events like the East Coast Pro Showcase. In his senior year of high school, Buxton had a .513 batting average. He also stole 38 bases in 39 games. Buxton planned to play college baseball at the University of Georgia. He also hoped to join their football team.
Byron Buxton's Professional Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues (2012–2014)
Experts called Buxton a "five-tool player" because he was good at hitting for power, hitting for average, running fast, throwing well, and fielding well. MLB.com said he was the best young player available in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. The Minnesota Twins picked Buxton as the second player overall in that draft.
Buxton signed a contract with the Twins on June 12, 2012. He received a $6 million signing bonus. He started his professional career in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) with the Gulf Coast Twins. He batted .216 in 26 games there. Later that year, he moved up to the Elizabethton Twins. He batted .286 in 21 games. He was named the top young player in the Gulf Coast League.
In 2013, Buxton started with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He batted .340 with eight home runs and 32 stolen bases. Because he played so well, the Twins moved him up to the Fort Myers Miracle in June. By the middle of the season, many baseball experts thought Buxton was the best young player in all of baseball. He also played in the All-Star Futures Game. With Fort Myers, Buxton had a .326 batting average with four home runs and 23 stolen bases. After the season, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Midwest League. He also won the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.
The Twins invited Buxton to their spring training in 2014. But he hurt his left wrist while diving for a ball. He started the 2014 season on the disabled list. He returned on May 4 but hurt his wrist again after only five games. Buxton batted .240 in 30 games before moving up to the New Britain Rock Cats on August 11. In his first game with New Britain, he ran into another player and got a concussion. The Twins decided he should not play for the rest of the regular season. However, he did play in the Arizona Fall League after the season.
Making His MLB Debut (2015–2017)
Even though he missed most of 2014, many experts still thought Buxton was one of the best young players in baseball in 2015. He started the 2015 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Twins then called him up to the major leagues on June 14. He scored the winning run in his very first MLB game! Buxton got his first hit, a triple, in his second game. After playing ten games, he sprained his thumb and went on the disabled list. The Twins later sent him to the Rochester Red Wings to play more games. In 2015, he batted .209 and stole two bases.
Buxton started the 2016 season as the Twins' main center fielder. But he struggled at first, batting only .156 in 17 games. He was sent back to Rochester in April. He was called up again later in the season and stayed in center field. He finished the year batting .225 with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. According to Statcast, which tracks player movements, Buxton was the fastest player in MLB in 2016.
Buxton was again the Twins' starting center fielder for the 2017 season. He was batting .219 at the start of August. On August 18, he hit the fastest inside-the-park home run ever recorded by Statcast, running around the bases in just 13.85 seconds! On August 27, Buxton hit three home runs in one game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He had a great August, batting .324 with eight home runs and eight stolen bases. For the whole season, he batted .253 with 29 stolen bases. He won several awards for his amazing defense, including the Gold Glove Award and the Platinum Glove Award for the American League. He was again the fastest player in MLB.
Recent Seasons (2018–Present)
Buxton's 2018 season was tough. He missed time because of a toe injury and migraines. In the major leagues, he batted .156 and stole five bases. The Twins decided not to call him up to the major leagues in September, which Buxton said he was not happy about. He was still the fastest player in MLB that year.
On April 22, 2019, Buxton's streak of 33 successful stolen bases ended when he was caught stealing. In 2019, Buxton batted .262 and was the fastest player in the American League.
In the shorter 2020 Major League Baseball season, Buxton played in 39 of the Twins' 60 games. He missed some time due to a shoulder injury. He batted .254 with a career-high .577 slugging percentage.
Buxton was named the American League Player of the Month for April 2021. He hit .426 with 8 home runs and 14 RBIs that month.
On December 1, 2021, Buxton signed a new seven-year contract with the Twins for $100 million.
When Carlos Correa joined the Twins for the 2022 season, he and Buxton made history. They were the third pair of players picked first and second in the same draft to play for the same team. On June 9, 2022, Buxton, Luis Arráez, and Correa all hit home runs in a row against Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees. Buxton then hit another three-run home run in the same game! In June 2022, Buxton hit his 44th home run without hitting into a double play. This broke a record held by Matt Carpenter. On July 5, 2022, Buxton started the first 8–5 triple play in major league history. He caught a fly ball, threw to third base, and helped get three outs in one play! In 2022, he batted .224 in 92 games, playing 35 of them as a designated hitter.
In 2023, Buxton became the Twins' main designated hitter to help him stay healthy and play more games. He batted .207 in 85 games, but he did not play in the field at all that season.
In 2024, he moved back to playing center field. He batted .279 in 105 games.
On May 1, 2025, Buxton stole his 100th career base against the Cleveland Guardians. He became the eighth player in Minnesota Twins history to reach this milestone. Even more special, he became only the third player for the Twins (since they moved to the Twin Cities) to have both 100 stolen bases and 100 home runs. The other two were Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter. On June 19, 2025, Buxton hit two home runs in a 12-5 win against the Cincinnati Reds. His first home run was his 12th "leadoff" homer, which means he hit it at the very start of the game. This tied him for fifth most in Twins history.
On July 12, 2025, Buxton hit for the cycle in a 12–4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This means he hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run all in the same game! He was the 350th player in MLB history to hit for the cycle. He was also the 12th player in Twins history to do it, and the first to do it at Target Field, where the Twins play their home games.
Byron Buxton's Family Life
Buxton grew up in Baxley, Georgia. His father, Felton, owns a trucking company, and his mother, Carrie, works at a school. Byron has two siblings, including a younger sister named Keva. Buxton's cousin, Dexter Carter, used to be a professional football player in the NFL.
Buxton started dating Lindsey Tillery in 2012. She also went to Appling County High School and played softball. They got married in 2016. They have three sons together, born in 2013, 2020, and 2023.
Buxton and his family also own an Ellianos Coffee shop in Baxley, Georgia. He loves coffee and even helps out behind the scenes at the shop. They are planning to open a second location soon. Buxton sees this business as a way to help his family's future beyond baseball.
See also
In Spanish: Byron Buxton para niños
