MN Twins Thievery Reaching Historic Levels, Buxton Chasing Legend Status

You probably aren’t alone if you’ve tuned out the Minnesota Twins for at least the remainder of 2025. The reality is that they’ve played bad baseball that’s pushed their record down to 62-75, following a trade deadline teardown that saw most of their bullpen, Carlos Correa, Chris Paddack and Willi Castro leave town.

All that came just a couple weeks before the Pohlads’ bait and switch minority selloff, which secured their majority ownership of the Twins for the foreseeable future. and now own a 62-75 record.

If you are one of the many fans who’ve recently tuned out the local 9, however, you’ve missed a different brand of baseball than what we’ve become accustomed to, under the leadership of manager Rocco Baldelli and president Derek Falvey.

Minnesota Twins stealing at a historic rate

Since shaking up the roster at the trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins look like a team with lots of fresh MLB meat, and thus much more fresh legs ready and willing to be more aggressive on the basepaths.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was recalled on Monday, when active MLB rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players. Speed is a major part of his game that he felt went underutilized when he was called up earlier in the season. Now, he believes things will be different: “They’ve kind of opened up the running game, running a lot more now”.

The data tells us Keirsey is right. The Twins stole 23 bases in August, their highest one-month total in more than a decade. And Keirsey, a 28-year-old rookie outfielder, now ranks second among the current Twins with nine steals on the season.

Manager Rocco Baldelli’s new emphasis on aggressiveness on the bases should help the now young and energetic Twins steal more efficiently, which is crucial if Minnesota is going to continue swiping bases at historic rates.

“It kind of takes a lot of the focus off of you” when you reach base, Keirsey reasoned. “Before, it was like, ‘OK there’s one or two guys who might run, so we’re not going to let them go.’ But when you have guys who all can become a base-running threat, they’re going to pay attention, but maybe it’s more divided attention.”

Star Tribune

It’s not just translating to more stolen bases, either. Twins players are looking to take the extra 90 feet whenever they feel an opportunity presents itself. That’s music to the ears of Byron Buxton, who’s made a career out of grabbing extra bases when they wouldn’t normally be available.

Byron Buxton flirting with Minnesota Twins history

There was a time that Byron Buxton was a light-hitting speedster simply looking to make contact. He’s not that player anymore and his .272/.333/.551 slash line. Over the weekend he made history by stealing third base for the first time in his career, and he’s not done running.

“He’s not even close to done right now. He looks terrific. His legs, he’s flying around the bases. He’s doing everything he’d like to do. Every day he could do something different and wow you. Byron Buxton stole third base, which was awesome. He doesn’t come into my office too often, but he walked right in there after the game for some high fives. He was pretty fired up. … I’m glad he did it, just seeing the smile on his face after the game.”

Rocco Baldelli – The Athletic

Related: Twins’ Struggling Top Pick Remains Clutch

Health has always been the key for Buxton, and talking to The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, he clearly feels healthy this late into the season for the first time in his now-extended MLB career.

So far this season, the All-Star center fielder has swiped 21 bases bases this season, on just 21 attempts. In 126 career tries, Byron has been thrown out only 12 times.

And now, NINE stolen bases stand between the long tenured Twin and something no player in franchise history has ever done before. He only has 29 home runs on the year, so he’ll have to hit one more longball too.

How historic would a Byron Buxton 30/30 season be?

But, if over the next 25 games, Byron Buxton bashes one more homer and steals those nine bags, he will become the 48th member of Major League Baseball’s 30 (HR)/30 (SB) club, and the first Twin ever to reach the statistical anomaly. Last season, only Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Bobby Witt Jr. accomplished the historic feat.

Byron Buxton steals third base for the first time in his career and it gives him a 20/20 season pic.twitter.com/sATmaKUpRF

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) August 30, 2025

Related: New Milestone for MN Twins Star, Top Pitcher Joining Soon

The additional home run seems like a certainty, but power can be finicky in moments like this. Nine more stolen bases, however, would require a pace Buxton has not shown all year. Then again, he’s been perfect and could kick down the pedal in the final month simply to get him over the top.

2025 is only the second season in Byron Buxton’s 11-year MLB career where he has played 100+ games in consecutive seasons. Without a doubt, he’ll get MVP votes too. But reaching the 30/30 milestone would immediately etch buck into a class only filled by the most legendary Twins of all time.