Tommy Watkins (l) and Byron Buxton Credit: Courtesy of MN Twins

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is the second fastest player on the basepaths in Major League Baseball.  According to Statcast, Buxton is averaging 30.2 feet per second, his highest speed since 2019.

MLB Network before the season listed Buxton as the third-best center fielder in the majors.  The 30-year-old veteran has made many highlight-worthy catches during his career, including one last week when he held on to a short pop fly while he unfortunately ran smack into the back of teammate Carlos Correa in a game at Baltimore. The collision forced both players out of the game as a result.

After his debut in June 2015, Buxton is now the longest tenured Twin. He also is one of two U.S.-born Blacks on the team this season.

Now in his seventh season, “Just to be able to get more African American Black guys in the game” remains a goal of his, said Buxton as we stood in front of his corner locker in the Twins clubhouse. A corner locker is typically awarded to the team leaders — former Twin Torii Hunter had one when he was with the team — and Buxton’s locker cements his position as the Twins’ undisputed leader.  

The low numbers of Blacks in baseball has been oft-discussed here and elsewhere, especially in MLB (around 6%) and at other levels of the sport. Among the multi-faceted reasons, affordability and basketball and football being more popular among Black youth are mentioned too often in any discussion on this topic.

“I just try to make sure and let them know that whatever you put your mind to, you can do it,” said Buxton, who is among the well-known Black pro superstars, though not as much nationwide outside of baseball. He and other Black MLB stars are relative unknowns compared to better marketed Blacks in other sports as far as visibility to Black youth.

“Obviously I’m here,” stressed Buxton. 

When he arrived in Minnesota, there were a couple of Blacks around on the team that proudly showed him the ropes. “I talked to Torii quite a bit when I first got here,” said Buxton on Hunter, who played 19 major league seasons, including 12 seasons with the Twins (1997 to 2007, 2015) and was later inducted in the Twins Hall of Fame in 2016. 

“It was Ben [Revere] and Denard Span, so I had some great guys to kind of build off on,” continued the outfielder. “And I got a chance to talk with Adam Jones, and that really opened your eyes to some different things,” said Buxton.

Jones played 14 seasons, most with Baltimore. He disclosed that he often dealt with racist taunts while playing in the outfield—it was reported that a bag of peanuts was thrown at him during a game, along with a banana peel once hurled at him. And Jones admitted in several reports on racism in baseball that he was called the N-word too often.

Buxton thus far hasn’t disclosed similar incidents, but he pointed out, “I just kept my eyes open.”

There is no question that Buxton is well-liked and respected by his peers “in every positive way I can describe,” said Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli of Buxton. 

“He plays the game with everything he has to give. He does it by leading by example. And he does it in a meaningful way by talking to people.”

Besides playing baseball, Buxton wants to be the best husband and father he can for his three sons. “I know that baseball is going to end one day, but me being a dad never ends.”

Finally…

Twins Third Base Coach Tommy Watkins, Royce Lewis, and Bailey Ober earlier this month participated in the team’s annual handout of baseball gloves to local youth — 3,000 gloves were distributed at two locations on May 8.

“It means a lot just to get out in the community, for people to see us, especially in the inner city community,” said Watkins.

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

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