Twins teammates cherish Byron Buxton on, off field: ‘He’s top notch’
· Yahoo Sports
Torii Hunter was at the tail end of a 19-year career when Byron Buxton, just 21 years old, reached the majors way in 2015. Buxton arrived with sky-high expectations and the enormous pressure that comes with being the second-overall pick in the draft.
Two years later, when Royce Lewis was the top pick in the 2017 draft, Hunter, who had a longstanding relationship with Lewis’s dad from his playing days in Anaheim, had a message for the younger Lewis.
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“Torii said, ‘Buck’s going to get you,’ ” Lewis said. “And when I went up to him, he treated me like we had known each other for a while … like an older brother. It’s just like a family tie now.”
On Sunday, Buxton celebrated 10 years of major league service time, a milestone that fewer than 10 percent of players to ever don a major league uniform have reached. It’s an incredible achievement for any player, and one Buxton himself admitted he didn’t know if he would get to during an emotional clubhouse speech before Sunday’s game.
But for everything that he’s done on the field — he’s a two-time All-Star, a Gold Glove Award winner, a Silver Slugger Award winner and more — it’s the person he is in the clubhouse and away from the ballpark that his teammates say makes him so special.
“Everybody thinks of him extremely highly, not only for the talent that he is but just who he is off the field,” teammate Austin Martin said. “He’s always made that comment to me of like, ‘When it’s all said and done, I don’t really care what people think of me as a player, but I care about what my teammates thought of me in the locker room.’ ”
During the season-opening series in Baltimore, Buxton could tell Lewis was down after missing his pitch during his first at-bat. “You’re the best player ever,” the veteran told Lewis in the dugout in between plate appearances, trying to pump him up and instill confidence.
Lewis hit a home run in his next at-bat.
He may not be the biggest on public speaking or giving team speeches, but Buxton is quick to lend advice or speak up when the situation calls for it. Mostly, he leads by example, and there are plenty within the clubhouse eager to follow in his footsteps, whether on the field or off. Buxton has a habit of eating egg, ham and cheese scrambles; now Lewis does, too.
It’s the thoughtfulness that he shows, like when he bought customized shirts for players and staff members to wear ahead of the 2023 postseason. Or how he purchases belts for his teammates at the beginning of each season.
It’s the desire to create strong bonds within the clubhouse, as he did last season when he and catcher Christian Vázquez gathered the group together in Cleveland after the Twins saw a mass sell-off at last year’s trade deadline. He has taken on an even bigger role in gathering the team together lately, Martin said.
“He cares about that. He cares about the camaraderie of the team,” Martin said. “You have a strong locker room, you have a strong team, and I think he tries to embody that.”
It’s the dedication he has to his family — his wife, Lindsey, and their three boys, Brixton, Blaze and Baire, who can often be found in the clubhouse trailing around their father and the way he treats those he encounters along the way.
“He’s top notch. He respects everybody, treats everybody well, with respect,” said reliever Taylor Rogers, part of the same 2012 draft class as Buxton. “The waiter at dinner is ‘sir,’ and the bus driver is ‘sir.’ … It’s just exactly what you want. That’s what the Twins want as the face of the franchise, a guy like that.”
And it’s the unwavering loyalty he has shown to the organization that drafted him, like at last year’s All-Star Game when he proudly told reporters that he had a no-trade clause and that he was “a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life.” Buxton signed a seven-year contract extension in 2021 that takes him through the 2028 season. Last season, he batted away trade rumors very publicly.
Getting to 10 years of service time is special, he said. Getting to 10 years of service time as a Twin?
“That probably means more to me than anything else,” Buxton said.
It’s that same type of loyalty and dedication that Buxton gives back to his teammates.
“He’s committed to this group, this group of guys, this organization and the fans — the people that have supported him along the way,” said starter Bailey Ober, one of his longest-tenured teammates. “I think the players can definitely feel that just because if you have Byron’s back and you defend him, he’s going to have your back for life.”
Buxton, Lewis said, is the most loyal person he’s ever met. He could’ve asked out at last year’s trade deadline when many of his teammates were shipped away, agreed to waive his no-trade clause to go to a more competitive team.
Many others might have. Not Buxton.
“It goes to speak on his character and who he is,” Martin said. “He wants to win here. He’s always told me that. … If he wanted to, I’m sure he could go to the Dodgers or something and contend for the World Series, but this is where he wants to be, this is his home and this is where he wants to win.”