Byron Buxton doesn’t stop playing defense just because he’s mired in a bit of a slump at the plate, and the effort he put in to make a potential game-saving catch Friday night in Kansas City was the definition of determination.
With the Twins up 6-4 in the fifth inning, Melky Cabrera drilled an offering from Ervin Santana deep center, which proved to be a bad place to hit the ball with Buxton out there.
Buxton made the catch, running full speed into the wall and hanging onto the ball despite the collision.
I’ll go wherever you will go. pic.twitter.com/rAYYK6WSW6
— MLB (@MLB) September 9, 2017
According to Rhett Bollinger, Buxton covered 115 feet of ground in only six seconds. That’s insane, and part of the reason why he leads all MLB center fielders with a +24.6 Fielding Runs Above Replacement, per Aaron Gleeman. That’s basically a stat that says he’s saved about 25 more runs with his defense than the average center fielder would have playing in his place.
Here's the route Byron Buxton took on his catch at the wall. Needed to cover 115 feet in 6.0 seconds. He was playing shallow. pic.twitter.com/6OCekTEq7r
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 9, 2017
