Will Buxton reach this feat in 2026?
The Minnesota Twins could have a difficult 2026 MLB season. Their roster has no shortage of question marks to go along with some injury concerns. Nevertheless, Byron Buxton is still one of the best outfielders in all of MLB. Today, we are going to make one big prediction for Buxton in 2026.
Before getting into the prediction, let's take a look at everything Buxton has accomplished in 2025.
The outfielder earned his second career All-Star selection. He finished the season with a .264/.327/.551 slash line to go along with an .878 OPS, 35 home runs, 21 doubles, 97 runs scored, 83 RBI and 24 stolen bases. Buxton earned the first Silver Slugger of his career and also finished 11th in American League MVP voting.
It was a strong season to say the least. So, what is the big 2026 prediction for Buxton?
Prediction: Byron Buxton Records First 30-30 Season of His Career
This is bold not for the reason one may initially imagine. In all reality, the idea of Buxton reaching the 30-30 mark (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases) does not seem especially surprising. He has tremendous power and runs well.
Buxton, however, has been limited by injuries throughout his career. The 126 games he played in 2025 was the second highest mark of his time in MLB. Buxton's career-high in games played is 140.
Buxton is in the 100th percentile in sprint speed and he ranked in the 99th percentile for baserunning run value last year, yet he only stole 24 bases. That was surely a result of Buxton playing in less than 130 games. Buxton has never stolen 30 bases in a season, though, as 29 is his career-high.
Meanwhile, Buxton has only hit 30 or more home runs once in a season, which is what he accomplished last year by crushing 35 long balls. He ended up ranking in the 96th percentile for both hard-hit percentage and barrel percentage in 2025.
The 30-30 prediction becomes more attention-catching with all of that being said. In other words, we are predicting that Buxton will have a healthy season.
If Buxton plays in 145 games in 2026, it would be shocking if he did not record a 30-30 season. He ranks near or at the top of the league in the hard-hit categories and baserunning categories. There is reason to believe in Buxton, but he just needs to find a way to stay on the field on a more consistent basis.