Strong Finish Boosts Buxton's Confidence

Byron Buxton was a different player when he came back to the majors last September, his fourth big league call up after largely failing in his first three.

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While the numbers bear out improvement, Twins manager Paul Molitor said it was visible even beyond just the stat sheet.

“I think for whatever reason there was a little more freedom of expression of his talent,” Molitor said. “Maybe not trying to impress and meet expectations and kind of really concentrate on just trying to enjoy the competition and using the gifts that he has. I think he would tell you that.”

Buxton, BA’s No. 2 prospect going into the 2016 season, hit .287 with nine home runs and a 1.011 OPS in September. It was quite the contrast to what he had shown previously, with a .199 batting average and 29 percent strikeout rate over his prior ML stints.

With the big finish, Buxton changed the Hall of Famer Molitor’s mind about just what kind of player he could be.

“I might have misgauged him little bit on what he could do because I was so focused on the bunting and the putting the ball in play and cutting the swing down and the strikeouts,” Molitor said. “Then he comes up and hits . . . nine home runs in September. So we know that there’s some hit-it-over-the fence skill that might come over time, but we saw potentially it might be a little more frequently.”

“I don’t think he’s out of the woods, but we haven’t given up on the ceiling that’s been created,” Molitor continued. “I think it’s there.”

Thaiss’ Hitting Gets Noticed

Angels manager Mike Scioscia got his first extended look at Matt Thaiss in instructional league this fall. Safe to say, the veteran skipper was impressed with the Angels’ most recent first-round draft pick.

“He’s really an advanced hitter for his experience level and his age,” Scioscia said. “He’s exciting.”