MN Twins Superstar Lands on Notable MVP List
The Minnesota Twins aren’t playing for anything as a team at this point. On Wednesday night they lost their 90th game of the season. It’s the first time since 2016 that they have achieved that low, and that offseason saw the front office get wiped out.
It’s unlikely that a recently promoted Derek Falvey or Jeremy Zoll are going anywhere. Rocco Baldelli could take the fall despite being just a cog in the wheel. Either way, Byron Buxton couldn’t be less at fault for where the team stands.
Minnesota’s superstar is having the best season of his career. He’s going to earn consideration for year-end awards because of it too.
Byron Buxton will get MVP votes for the Minnesota Twins
In Wednesday night’s loss, Byron Buxton hit his 32nd home run for the Minnesota Twins. It was the 9th leadoff home run of his season, and 18th of his career. He will fall short of a 30-30 year, but he’s going to get MVP votes regardless. The Athletic’s Keith Law has him seventh.
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | OF | New York Yankees |
| Cal Raleigh | C | Seattle Mariners |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | Kansas City Royals |
| Tarik Skubal | LHP | Detroit Tigers |
| Jose Ramirez | 3B | Cleveland Guardians |
| Julio Rodriguez | OF | Seattle Mariners |
| Byron Buxton | OF | Minnesota Twins |
| Garret Crochet | LHP | Boston Red Sox |
| Jeremy Pena | SS | Houston Astros |
| Maikel Garcia | 3B | Kansas City Royals |
We won’t fault Law for voting Judge over what Raleigh is doing as a catcher, although I fail to see how anyone can overlook that. Regardless, Buxton lands seventh on his ten-person ballot. Of course he isn’t voting, but this should be reflective of those that are.
Among American League position players this season, Buxton’s 4.8 fWAR ranks 8th. He trailed both Jeremy Pena and Maikel Garcia, but it’s hard to argue his numbers aren’t more impressive.
The Twins centerfielder has played a career-high 123 games while batting .263/.327/.539. He has 21 doubles, seven triples, 32 homers, and has been perfect in 24 stolen base attempts. It’s unfortunate that production didn’t translate more to wins for the team, but he has absolutely done his part.
Because of his contract incentives, he has every reason to care about MVP voting as well. Although he is being paid $100 million on the seven-year deal, he bet on himself as well. A 6th-through-10th finish in MVP voting earns him an additional $3 million. If he finishes 5th or higher he earns an addition $1 million per spot he goes up.
At the end of the day, it’s going to be a nice reward for a guy who has given everything to the organization, even in a year when nothing went right.
Buxton can contend to win another award
There’s zero chance Buxton is going to win the MVP, and that’s fine. He should contend for another award though. The Silver Slugger focuses on hitting production by position, and he’ll be in play for the American League.
As is the case for MVP consideration, Buxton will be in competition with the Mariners Julio Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s 130 OPS+ is four points behind Buxton’s. They both have 32 home runs, but Rodriguez has ten more doubles and 17 more RBI.
If there’s a tip of the cap to Buxton, it’s that he has produced the same or better results in 32 less games, and with 169 less plate appearances. His per-game statistics are therefore more impactful, and that could be the difference.
Silver Slugger awards will be unveiled exclusively by FanSided this year thanks to a new partnership.
More About: Minnesota Twins