What to Expect from MLB's No. 1 Prospect Byron Buxton in Spring Training

Byron Buxton entered 2014 as the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, and all signs pointed to him debuting with the Twins before the end of the season.

Unfortunately, a taste of the major leagues wasn’t in the cards for the then-20-year-old center fielder. Buxton spent the season battling one injury after the other, each of them resulting in a lengthy stay on the disabled list. He ultimately played in just 31 games—30 at High-A Fort Myers, and one at Double-A New Britain—and batted .234/.307/.395 with 10 extra-base hits in 137 plate appearances.

Buxton is expected to be fully healthy by the start of spring training, but no matter how well he plays in big league camp, he’s still likely headed to Double-A Chattanooga (the Twins’ new Double-A affiliate) to begin the season.

With that in mind, what should we expect from Buxton this spring?

Buxton vaulted to the top of all prospect rankings during his 2013 full-season debut, posting a .944 OPS with 49 extra-base hits (12 home runs), 55 stolen bases in 74 attempts and an impressive 105-76 strikeout-to-walk rate in 574 plate appearances between both Class-A levels—all as a 19-year-old.

In the wake of his historically good full-season debut, the Twins sent Buxton to the prestigious Arizona Fall League to get him additional experience against advanced pitching. However, the toolsy outfielder was unable to maintain his torrid pace at the plate and batted only .212 in 12 games. To make matters worse, Buxton ultimately was shut down toward the end of the fall season with a bone bruise and tendinitis in his left elbow, beginning what would be a yearlong wave of injuries for the 21-year-old.

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Buxton was impressive with the Twins last spring despite going 3-for-19 (.158) in seven games, but, as expected, he was reassigned to minor league camp during the second week in March. Ten days later, Buxton suffered a left wrist sprain while diving for a ball in the outfield. He spent the two subsequent months recovering from the injury, finally making his season debut on May 4 at High-A Fort Myers.

Buxton’s return was short-lived, though, as he landed back on the disabled list for two months the following week after re-injuring his wrist during a game. When he finally rejoined Fort Myers in July, Buxton reminded everyone why he became household name the previous year with a .263/.348/.424 batting line, eight extra-base hits and six steals over the next 24 games. The performance earned Buxton a promotion to Double-A New Britain—the level at which he was expected to begin the season—for the final three weeks of the minor league regular season.

Tragically, Buxton’s time at New Britain lasted only one game.

Buxton was part of a terrifying outfield collision with Mike Kvasnicka in his Double-A debut, as the two players collided violently in right-center field at full speed while attempting to catch a sinking line drive. With Buxton diving to his left on the play as Kvasnicka came in with a slide, the former's neck was left exposed and made flush contact with his right fielder’s thigh.

"I couldn't move," Buxton said, via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I thought I was paralyzed for a little while."

The game was delayed while paramedics tended to Buxton on the field, as he was placed on a stabilization board and taken to the hospital. The 21-year-old was diagnosed with a concussion and a sprained neck, meaning his season was over—but not his career.

Although Buxton was able to recover from the vicious collision in time to play in the Arizona Fall League, his chance to get back on track was derailed in late October when he dislocated and fractured his middle finger while diving for a ball in the outfield. Buxton subsequently underwent surgery to repair the fracture, and he was officially cleared to resume baseball activities in early January.

Buxton was recently named as one of the Twins’ non-roster invitees for 2015 spring training, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering he saw time in major league camp the previous two years.

After appearing in seven games last spring, the organization might choose to offer Buxton a longer audition this year, perhaps as a way to best gauge where he’s at from a developmental standpoint. At the same time, his injury-plagued 2014 campaign also gives the club reason to limit his workload during spring training; given Buxton’s tremendous upside and long-term potential, it makes more sense for Minnesota to make sure he’s 100 percent healthy and physically ready for the start of the season as opposed to potentially over-exerting him in Grapefruit League games.

Also, Buxton isn’t the type of prospect who would necessarily benefit from a lengthy stay in big league camp. The 21-year-old center fielder has the ceiling of an MVP-caliber player in his prime, with five potentially plus tools and a feel for making in-game adjustments.

Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff spoke with Bleacher Report about Buxton last spring. “First of all, Byron [Buxton] is a guy who has more natural talent than most everyone else,” he said. “The most impressive thing around here regarding Byron is how he processes information, how he takes in coaching, how he’s learned so quickly and applied what he’s been told immediately.”

With that in mind, Buxton might be better off working on specific aspects of his game with the coaching staff—the Twins’ new right fielder, Torii Hunter, should be able to teach him a thing or two—this spring while getting meaningful reps in minor league camp. At this stage in his promising career, it obviously makes sense for the Twins to take all precautionary measures (and then some) to ensure Buxton is healthy for the long haul.

While Buxton’s workload and timeline for spring training (let alone the regular season) haven’t been determined, it hasn’t stopped general manager Terry Ryan from raising the possibility of the 21-year-old reaching the major leagues, per Berardino on Twitter.

It’s probably more of a best-case scenario given all of his aforementioned injuries, but the fact that the Twins’ center field situation is unsettled heading into spring training could work in Buxton’s favor as the season unfolds. The organization is expected to give Aaron Hicks, the Twins’ Opening Day center fielder in 2013, the first crack at the position this year, with Jordan Schafer representing his main competition.

Meanwhile, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Buxton will open the year at Double-A Chattanooga regardless of what he does or does not do during spring training. The reality is that no other player in the minor leagues can match his combination of elite athleticism, legitimate five-tool potential and advanced secondary skills.

For now, Buxton will remain focused on getting stronger and staying healthy for the upcoming season. With that in place, the rest should take care of itself.