MLB 2017: One prediction for each team

Minnesota Twins: Byron Buxton continues to disappoint

At different times over the past three years, Buxton has been viewed as the top hitting prospect in baseball. On paper, he has it all — speed, power, defense — but the results have been underwhelming to date. In his first two years with the Twins, Buxton is a .220/.274/.398 hitter who has struck out in 162 of his 427 at-bats.

Buxton has looked completely overmatched at the plate, swinging at almost everything. He’s batting below .200 against big-league breaking balls. In the field, Buxton has also looked lost at times. That will be a little easier to correct as his instincts improve.

In recent years, baseball fans have been spoiled by all of the young prospects who hit the big leagues and immediately turned into All-Stars. Kris Bryant won the Rookie of the Year and followed it up with an MVP. Corey Seager won Rookie of the Year and finished third in the MVP vote last year. Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa are playing shortstop and batting third for playoff teams.

It’s too early to label Buxton a bust. He has all the tools, but hasn’t been able to put it all together. Having seen him now for parts of two seasons in the big leagues, the best comparison may be Melvin Upton, another player who has frustrated managers, GMs and fans with his raw potential and underwhelming results.

Buxton is in a difficult spot with the Twins. They bungled their rebuild and lost 103 games in 2016. Brain Dozier appears to be on his way out. Buxton is going to be at the top of a lineup that doesn’t include much pop or protection. Opposing pitchers will continue attacking his weaknesses until he shows an ability to lay off breaking pitches in the dirt. It could be another long year for one of baseball’s most tantalizing prospects.