Byron Buxton doesn’t get to play back home much, so that makes this week sweeter.
The Baxley native is the face of the Minnesota Twins. He’s here for his second All-Star Game, a reward for an outstanding first half in which he hit .289 with a .925 OPS in 78 games.
Buxton doesn’t play in Atlanta often. He’s faced the Braves only seven times in his career, tied for his fewest games against any opponent (Cincinnati). He’s played six games at Truist Park, going 6-for-22 (.273) with a homer and three RBIs.
That only makes this week more exhilarating.
“To be able to come home and play in front of family and friends, it’s a memory that’s hard to make,” Buxton said Monday. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to come home and do it here.”
Buxton was the No. 2 overall pick out of Appling High School in 2012. He’s spent his entire career with the Twins, at times looking like one of the best players in the sport. He’s dealt with injuries, though he’s on track to exceed 100 games played in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career.
He closed the first half in style, hitting for the cycle on his bobblehead day Saturday. It was the 12th cycle in Twins history but the first at Target Field, which opened in 2010.
Overall, this might become Buxton’s finest season. He’s a bright spot on a 47-49 club that’s facing the reality of a second straight year missing the postseason. Buxton’s already produced 4.1 bWAR, which is second only to 2017 (5.0) in his career.
It’s only appropriate, then, that he’s experiencing the Midsummer Classic back in his home state. The Braves played a sizable role in Buxton’s enthusiasm for baseball in his youth.
“My favorite players growing up were Chipper Jones, Rafael Furcal, Andruw Jones; the veteran guys back then,” he said. “Just being a Braves fan, those were the guys who led the team that I was all-in for. I was a big Braves fan.”
Buxton participated in the Home Run Derby on Monday, hitting 20 home runs to advance to the second round. He lost to Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero in the semifinals, 8-7.
The Twins open the second half Friday on the road against the Rockies.
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