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Stacey King -> RE: Players and prospects III (5/3/2015 4:32:53 PM)
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and this was before his triple today. a 14-13 Lookouts win. Levi Michael was the hitting star and A.B. Walker and Sano both went deep.
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After suffering multiple injuries last season, Byron Buxton went back to his roots in order to return to top prospect form.
And the offseason work with his high school team has started to pay off as top overall prospect is returning to top-notch form. In his latest showcase, the Twins' top prospect tripled twice and doubled as Double-A Chattanooga topped Jacksonville, 6-3.
[image]http://i60.tinypic.com/m20qo.jpg[/image]
"I feel like this is my first full season again. I'm just glad to be back out here with my teammates and just helping us win a game," Buxton said. "I feel much better this year than I have the last three years."
He was limited to 31 games last season, followed by an injury-shortened Arizona Fall League campaign. Then the outfielder went back to Baxley, Georgia and met up with his former Appling County High School coaches.
"After the injuries last year, I went into the offseason, not trying to overdo it, but I went in and I worked out hard and I put in a lot of work in the cage and even at my high school field," he said. "I asked my coach, [Jeremy Smith], 'Can I go out there,' and he'd tell me 'whatever [you need]' and sometimes he'd come out there when I needed him to. I'm just humbled and blessed that I have people like that to allow me to do things like that and just keep making adjustments and getting better."
The 21-year-old practiced with his old high school team and kept going when spring began. Now Buxton's putting in the extra work with his Chattanooga teammates, most of whom show up to the park early together.
"I just really, really want to be out here on the field ... so when I got the chance to go in the cage and go on the field and hit or throw, I took advantage of that and tried to make the most of it," he said.
The results weren't there at first. The right-handed hitter collected three hits in his first three games, and a couple weeks later, went hitless in four straight.
"He was putting too much pressure on himself and the game was way too fast for him. Now I think, us probably getting home, playing a couple games at home in Chattanooga has probably helped him out," Lookouts manager Doug Mientkiewicz said. "He's one hell of a ballplayer, but we're trying to keep [the hype] quiet, so to speak. As quiet as the No. 1 prospect can be. He's got a lot on his plate. It's a lot on his plate for anybody, let alone somebody who's 21 years old, who missed the whole year.
"But on that note, he can handle it. He's mature beyond his years and he understands, he embraces the fact that he is as good as he is. "
In his second straight game, Buxton collected three hits and scored two runs. The second overall pick in the 2012 Draft slapped a double to center field in the first, tripled to left in the second and legged out an RBI three-bagger to center in the eighth.
"I put a good swing on the ball and it happened to carry a little farther. I think it hit off the wall and it rolled a little bit. It just allowed me to just keep moving the bases, and I got a good read on the ball," Buxton said of the first triple. "Out of the box, I always think triples. So I try to get out of the box as fast as I can and get around first so I can see where the ball is at. I just take my reads from there."
With his latest turnaround, Buxton is hitting .284 with 13 extra-base hits this season.
Mientkiewicz said the center fielder also stood out defensively. In the top of the seventh, Matt Juengel lined out to Buxton, who threw to first baseman Mike Gonzales to double off Terrence Dayleg.
"He's still got a long way to go, but he's getting rewarded for putting good swings on the ball," the manager said. "Hopefully he keeps doing what he's been doing the last week. We're starting to see him relax and just play the game."
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