Mama, There Goes That Man

Byron Buxton made a catch in Cleveland that would’ve broken most people’s bodies. I’m in the process of inquiring about a hip replacement, just having rewatched it a few times. Every now and then, you’ll see a great catch in the outfield, but there’s choreography involved. Jim Edmonds was the king of it, as he would time his route out perfectly so he could lay out clean, looking like a fucking savage, but in reality it was routine for him. There was nothing routine about this catch. This was full speed, I’m talking some Ken Griffey Jr/Mike Trout giving up your body crashing into the wall type shit. Shaded towards the left center gap, he ranged all the way to the wall in right center, knocking his glasses and hat off, but squeezing his glove closed tight. Just like that, Santana was robbed by a Mother’s Day themed pink blur.

Byron Buxton can’t hit his weight, but centerfield is a position where you should be willing to give up offense in exchange for some superhuman shit in the outfield. After all, there’s a lot to live up to when it comes to Twins centerfielders. That’s where Torii Hunter made a name for himself. Where he routinely made the most exciting play in baseball, the robbed home run. I have a vivid memory of him robbing Barry Bonds in that 2002 All-Star Game. He plucked the ball out of the stands, and I was like “that’s the baddest motherfucker on the planet.” It’s the reason me and my best friend spent hours, tossing up balls against the backyard fence. Every now and then, I was Andruw Jones, but most of the time I was Torii.

Twins fans need to keep in mind the fact that Buxton is only 23, and will develop offensively. What he showed yesterday, was not only the extraordinary physical ability to make the catch, but the balls to sacrifice his body for the team, for his pitcher. That’s something you gotta be excited about in Minnesota.