Byron Buxton returns to Cedar Rapids, confident about establishing himself in 2017 for Minnesota Twins

CEDAR RAPIDS — Byron Buxton found himself back in the city Wednesday night where he started to become the can't-miss kid.

The Minnesota Twins center fielder joined teammate Trevor May, new General Manager Thad Levine and others at NewBo City Market, part of the Twins' annual Winter Caravan. It was held in conjunction with the Cedar Rapids Kernels Hot Stove Banquet.

Buxton was a raw 19-year-old first-round draft pick when he joined the Kernels for the 2013 season. Two and a half months of at times breathtaking baseball had the locals comparing him to former Kernels outfielder Mike Trout, got him promoted to the next level of the minor leagues and to the very top of virtually everyone's prospect list.

He was pushed to the big leagues before he probably should have been in 2015 and struggled. Last season wasn't much better, as he was twice sent back to Triple-A before returning to Minnesota and hitting .277 with seven home runs in September.

The 23-year-old finally seemed on the verge of figuring things out, and he's excited to carry that late play into 2017.

'Gave me a lot of confidence,' Buxton said. 'To go up and down like I did is frustrating. When you know you're better than what you're performing. Never failing, even in high school, it was a little bit tougher on me to try and bounce back. I got sent back down that second time, and I just told myself just go back to being myself. Go out there having fun and playing the game.'

His pure physical gifts are undeniable. Despite his struggles thus far in MLB, Buxton still is a potential five-tool guy.

And someone the Twins are counting on to be a cornerstone for their turnaround. They had an MLB-worst record of 59-103 last season.

'I expect greatness from Byron Buxton,' said Levine, the assistant GM of the Texas Rangers in 2016. 'The perspective from the ouside looking in, you regard him as one of the best prospects in the game. Now that I've gotten a chance to meet him, I think the person matches the talent. So I think what the team saw in the last half of the season, particularly as the season progressed in September, you started seeing how dynamic a player he can be. I'm ecstatic to see what next year brings and the year after that. Because I think as he comes into his own, he has a chance to be one of the best players in the game.'

'Just be a little bit more consistent,' Buxton said. 'Last year, I was up and down, wasn't consistent, didn't hit the ball well. In September, I kind of figured it out, slowed the game down. I just kind of want to take what I did in September and roll it over into spring training, then into the season. Go out there and have fun.'

Buxton, May, Levine, 2017 Kernels Manager Tommy Watkins and 2016 Kernels hitting coach Brian Dinkelman spoke during the banquet, which was emceed by Twins broadcaster Kris Atteberry. The Kernels also announced their 2017 Hall of Fame class: former players Bob Forsch, John Roseboro and Barry Morgan, and former Board of Directors member Russ Rossiter.

The 2017 season begins Thursday, April 6 at Beloit. The home opener is Saturday, April 8 against the Snappers.

The parent Twins still have not announced hitting and pitching coaches for the Kernels. The belief is the return of Dinkelman and pitching coach J.P. Martinez is a possibility.

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