Byron Buxton Set To Make Target Field Debut With Twins
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- He's only 21 years old, and he made the quickest jump to the majors by a Twins player in a decade.
Baseball experts have called Byron Buxton the top prospect in Major League Baseball. The Twins called him up to the majors while they were in Texas last weekend, and Wednesday night Buxton made his Target Field debut.
"I think there's only two left on the shelf over there so they are going quick," said Patrick Rydeen, a Twins fan and a Buxton fan.
The Twins shop next to Target Field was having a hard time keeping Buxton shirts and jerseys in the store.
Officials said they haven't seen this much hype from a rookie since Joe Mauer came into the league. But Buxton already has Mauer beat in at least one category.
"He has a lot of speed," 12-year-old fan Marren Neeb said.
"His speed is what stands out," said Buxton fan Steve Bammert, who drove from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with his son Brad.
Considered a five-tool prospect since high school, Buxton scored the winning run in his major league debut last weekend.
That's why Nick Hunter, a life-long Twins fan, flew from Virginia to Minnesota just to watch Buxton's Target Field debut.
"I followed him a lot in Double-A," Hunter said. "I'd look at his stats every night, see the score and stuff, so I've been tracking him since he got drafted."
"When they drafted him I was pretty excited," said Buxton fan Sam Plohasz. "That's the guy I wanted."
Plohasz used to watch recruitment videos of Buxton before the Twins drafted him. He has all the bases covered when it comes to Buxton swag-wearing his Cedar Rapids minor league shirt to Wednesday night's game and then making the move to the majors by buying a new Buxton Twins shirt.
"I've never seen a guy this good," Plohasz said. "Maybe Torii Hunter in his prime when he was with us, but I think Buxton is going to be the real deal with us."