Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending August 27^th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.
Buxton batted .333 (11-for-33) with nine runs scored, a double, five home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases over eight games played to earn his first career AL Player of the Week Award. Among his AL counterparts, Byron finished his strong week first in home runs; tied for first in total bases (27); tied for second in extra-base hits (6) and RBI; fourth in slugging percentage (.818); and tied for fourth in hits and stolen bases. This is Minnesota's third weekly award this season, becoming the second AL Club to do so (also Baltimore Orioles). Other Twins to win this season include Buxton's teammates Miguel Sanó (April 30^th) and Eddie Rosario (August 13^th).
In Minnesota's double-header on Monday against the Chicago White Sox, Buxton tallied three hits across both games, including his eighth homer on the season during the latter contest. With the multi-hit effort during the second game, the second overall selection of the 2012 MLB Draft continued a career-long 12-game hitting streak, dating back to August 10^th. During his torrid stretch, Buxton batted .400 (18-for-45) with 12 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, four home runs, 12 RBI and three stolen bases. On Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, the dynamic 23-year-old went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base to propel Minnesota to a 6-1 victory. Moreover, the speedy center fielder saved his best performance for Sunday's matinee against the Blue Jays. In the Twins' 7-2 victory over Toronto, Buxton went 4-for-5 with three home runs, a stolen base and five RBI, becoming the eighth player in Twins history to log three round-trippers in a single game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the 64^th time since 2012 that a player clubbed as many as three homers in a game. However, Buxton joined Yoenis Céspedes of the New York Mets (2015) as the only players to also steal a base in the same contest. Since the calendar flipped to August, the Baxley, Georgia native has enjoyed the best month of his Major League career, slashing .330/.362/.649 with 22 runs scored, 32 hits, three doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 25 RBI and eight stolen bases. Led in large part by Buxton's hot month at the plate, the Twins currently occupy the second AL Wild Card spot with a 67-63 (.515) record.
Other noteworthy performances last week included Byron's teammates Kyle Gibson (2-0, 1.98 ERA, 13.2 IP, 15 SO) and Jorge Polanco (.344, 6 R, 4 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI); starting pitcher Doug Fister (1-1, 1.69 ERA, 16.0 IP, 13 SO) of the Boston Red Sox; outfielder Trey Mancini (.478, 3 XBH, 8 RBI, .519 OBP) of the Baltimore Orioles; two-time All-Star starting pitcher Chris Archer (1-0, 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 18 SO) and 2017 All-Star designated hitter Corey Dickerson (.500, 6 R, 5 XBH, 1.000 SLG) of the Tampa Bay Rays; and two-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor (.360, 6 R, 4 HR, 7 RBI) of the Cleveland Indians.
In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Byron Buxton will be awarded a watch courtesy of Rockwell.