Is Byron Buxton the last of a dying breed?
Perhaps, based on his telling Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune over the weekend that he'd like to be a one-team man over his entire career.
There have been some notable one-team guys in Twins history. A few who immediately come to mind are Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek, but it's a list that also includes Tony Oliva and pitcher Brad Radke.
Buxton's time with the Twins also comes more into focus when considering the departures of Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano in recent seasons. That trifecta was part of a legendary international signing class in 2009; with all three gone, Buxton is now the elder statesman in the clubhouse as the team's No. 2 pick in the 2012 MLB draft.
Buxton's presently 13th in Twins history among hitters in fWAR at 22.2, and can reasonably pass quite a few players this season, such as Torii Hunter (22.6), Corey Koskie (23.2) and perhaps even Gary Gaetti (25.8).
It would take a 3.7 fWAR season to pass Gaetti; that's the exact number Buxton posted in 102 games played last season.
Buxton has four years left on his current deal, guaranteeing him $60.57 million with up to $44 million more available in performance-based incentives. That will also take him through his age-34 season.
Will Buxton want to keep playing after that? Could he be in for a Joe Mauer-esque retirement at the end of his current deal?
There's no way of knowing, but it sure seems nice that Buxton loves Minnesota as much as (most of) it loves him.
Minnesota Twins press clippings
- The winner of the Twins' "filthiest" pitch this spring won't surprise anyone in a piece written by Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. We don't want to give it away, but let's just say catching it requires a special glove — unless you're Bob Uecker (RIP).
- Continuing the red-hot run the Star Tribune duo of Nightengale and Phil Miller has been on this spring, the former has a piece on Justin Topa collecting baseball cards that's a whole heap of fun. Oddly enough, Topa only recently appeared on a baseball card for the first time — which is mind-blowing to me given the lengths Bowman and others go to print prospect cards as well. Then again, relievers aren't usually big prospects.
- Over at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Betsy Helfand has a terrific (subscriber-only) article detailing how Pablo Lopez has shown his leadership in ways that go well beyond a big-league clubhouse. I don't want to give away too much as it is a paid article, but I just think it's worth noting that this is what true leaders do — talk the talk and walk the walk.
- One of my favorite parts of Twins Daily is the satire written by Randball's Stu. I won't give away his real name, but he's a terrific writer and he blends comedy into his writing effortlessly. So much so, in fact, that Twins Daily had to incorporate a satire tag to differentiate his pieces because they were being considered legitimate (like Buxton hitting "showoff doubles" in the minor leagues. In this iteration, Stu pokes a little fun at ̶L̶o̶u̶i̶e̶ Louis Varland's name change by taking it a step further. As usual this one is highly recommended.
Briefly
- Jose Quintana is signing a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Fansided's own Robert Murray. While there's no immediate connection to the Twins involved here, any starter coming off the board at this point of the offseason feels notable, especially considering former Twin Kyle Gibson is also still looking for work. It's unclear, but unlikely, that the Twins are shopping in this market, but it wouldn't be shocking altogether.
- Felix Bautista is nearing a return to the mound for the Orioles, which will make former Twin reliever Yennier Cano's role worth watching. Cano was third on the team in saves last season with five, but Craig Kimbrel had a terrible season as the team's primary closer and remains unsigned, while Serathony Dominguez (10 saves) was merely acceptable in his stint with the Orioles. Bautista will be handled carefully early on, and likely won't work back-to-backs anytime soon.
- Former Twin Jorge Polanco made his spring debut with the Mariners on Monday after undergoing knee surgery this winter. Polanco, who is only 31, feels like a decent bet as a bounce-back player for the Mariners this season (albeit still in a tough hitting environment).
- Former Twins prospect Spencer Steer may open the season on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. He received a cortisone shot and the Reds don't seem primed to bring him back too quickly. This could open the door for Christian Encarnacion-Strand (nice trade, Falvey) to make the team. CES homered off Dylan Cease over the weekend.
- Ildemaro Vargas homered for the Diamondbacks over the weekend. You probably don't even remember he was a Twin, do ya?