When Twins fans look back on the 2025 season, there won't be much to remember. However, Byron Buxton may have been the overall brightest spot for Minnesota from start to finish.
He was named to the All-Star Game for the second time in his career, was given his first-ever Silver Slugger Award, and was also named a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award. He posted career-highs in home runs (35), RBIs (83), hits (129), runs (97), and triples (7). His 4.9 bWAR also tied for the second-highest of his career.
If we left it at that, we'd be happy to cast off into the offseason, but Buxton's 2025 campaign took things one step further. Much further. On June 11 against the Texas Rangers, Buxton smashed a three-run, 479-foot home run off Jack Leiter to give the Twins a 3-2 lead. Buxton took advantage of a hanging breaking ball, and sent it over the bullpen in left-center field.
Sending the ball out at 11.16 MPH, Buxton's homer would go down as the fifth longest home run among any player in 2025, and the furthest among any right-handed batter not named Mike Trout.
Byron Buxton goes where few men before him have gone at Target Field! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Iid5owHg4L
— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2025
Trout muscled a 484 and 485-foot home run this past season. Two left-handers also hit a home run further than Buxton in 2025: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (493 feet) and Carter Jensen, Royals (482 feet).
The Twins would go on to win that game on June 11, 6-2. Buxton batted 3-for-3 that game with a walk, which was one of his nine three-plus hit games of the season. We have marveled at Buxton's titanic 2025 campaign, but this one swing encapsulated his entire season in one swing. Dominant, swift, and jaw-dropping. Let's hope Buxton can transition this star season into 2026 as Minnesota looks to turn the page on a soured chapter that saw the club win 70 games.