HOUSTON — What was set to become the first meeting between the top two picks of the 2012 amateur draft never materialized two weekends ago in Minnesota. But this weekend at Minute Maid Park, Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa and Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton were healthy and put their abundant talent on display.
Buxton finished just 1-for-6 with a run scored while playing the final two games of the series, but that one hit showcased his incredible speed and set the stage for the Twins to pull even against Astros right-hander Lance McCullers on Saturday night. Buxton hustled his way into a double and later scored, and then preserved the 3-2 victory with a dazzling catch with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning.
While his offense has been slow to come around — Buxton is batting just .188/.228/.260 over 26 games — his ability to influence the game elsewhere resonates.
“He’s a smart young man, he’s very coachable,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Buxton. “I haven’t had to repeat much information to him through the years. He kind of tries to apply things rather quickly. He’s adapting here. There’s always a little bit of an adjustment period, especially offensively when you get up here. He understands he can do things on the bases, he can do things defensively. Hopefully the offense will begin to follow suit.”
Correa closed the series 5-for-12 with an RBI and showcased his usually sound defense at shortstop. With a .282/.348/.509 line plus 16 home runs and 46 RBIs in 74 games, Correa is closing in on American League Rookie of the Year honors. But what impresses beyond his numbers is his willingness to embrace all that comes with superstardom, even at the tender age of 20.
“He really embraces being that type of fixture in an organization at an early age,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “With Buxton, watching his athleticism you can see why he was drafted so high, why he was considered I’m sure by us as the first overall pick that particular year.
“Very dynamic players that are on the field at the same time and they are arriving in the big leagues with all this fanfare, all this attention but most importantly all this ability to impact games. And they’re showcasing it.”