Byron Buxton
- Minnesota’s roster as it stands starts at CF · 453 PA · 3.2 WAR in the role
- Injured list 2026: Right hip impingement (Aug 30–Sep 28)
- Trade read Unlikely to be traded: Full no-trade clause (public reporting): he decides.
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 406 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 114 | .322 | .357 | 25% | 7% | 34% | +0.05 | +2.35 |
| RHP | 292 | .373 | .337 | 24% | 7% | 34% | −0.10 | +1.23 |
- Attack angle
- 14.3° (57% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- −8.7°
- Swing length
- 8.0 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 37%
- Pull-air %
- 24.6%
- Hard-hit %
- 46.7%
- Slash · wRC+
- .254/.319/.511 · 128
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage down and away (+6.0 vs. league per 100; 2.7 standard errors on 79 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest down over the middle (−3.8), but only 1.8 standard errors from average on 94 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average RHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 1,351 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Buxton: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Royce Lewis MIN · ’99 | .306 | 0.5 | 0.9 | Arb |
| 53 | Pete Crow-Armstrong CHC · ’02 | .375 | 10.6 | 6.7 | Signed $10.8M |
| 51 | CJ Abrams WSH · ’00 | .332 | 3.7 | 2.7 | Arb |
| 49 | Kazuma Okamoto TOR · ’96 | .328 | 3.0 | 1.7 | Signed $17.3M |
| 49 | Shea Langeliers ATH · ’97 | .352 | 2.3 | 2.4 | Arb |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | CF | +3 | +3 | −1.3 | +1.7 | 2,640 |
| 2025 | CF | +3 | +2 | −0.4 | +1.6 | 4,209 |
| 2024 | CF | +4 | +3 | +1.2 | +4.2 | 3,253 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
| Play | Made | Chances | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★★★★★ | 0 | 10 | 0% |
| ★★★★ | 2 | 5 | 40% |
| ★★★ | 3 | 4 | 75% |
| ★★ | 13 | 14 | 93% |
| ★ | 16 | 16 | 100% |
| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | CF | 323 | +6.3 |
| 2025 | CF | 472 | +2.1 |
| 2024 | CF | 340 | −6.9 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant