FanGraphs Weekly Mailbag: June 20, 2026
Last season, regardless of his group’s struggles, Byron Buxton set profession highs in plate appearances (542), house runs (35), runs (97), RBI (83), hits (129), and WAR (5.0). He solely performed in 126 video games, his second-highest single-season complete, as a result of he made two separate journeys to the injured record. We noticed sufficient of him in 2025 to understand his astonishing skills, but on the identical time, his presence was a reminder of the profession which may’ve been if solely he hadn’t gotten damage a lot.
Fortunately, Buxton is wholesome once more this season. As of Friday morning, he has performed in 64 of the Twins’ 76 video games this yr. That may not appear to be quite a bit, however that works out to a tempo of 136 video games. Crucially, regardless of coping with a number of minor accidents, he has averted the IL to this point in 2026. He’s on monitor to hit 49 house runs and accumulate simply shy of 6 WAR. ZiPS and our Depth Charts each venture him to decelerate a bit of bit, however they nonetheless peg him for no less than 45 homers and proper round 5 WAR. That can be a formidable season for anyone, however particularly for an injury-prone 32-year-old middle fielder.
That bit on Buxton is all you may hear from me this weekend. I’m on trip as you are studying this, and Meg Rowley is dealing with mailbag enhancing duties whereas I’m gone. This week, we’re answering your questions on Juan Soto‘s slower swing velocity, the groups which have the best all-time variations between participant WAR and franchise wins, and whether or not an American League group will make the playoffs with a dropping file. But first, I’d prefer to remind you that this mailbag is unique to FanGraphs Members. If you are not but a Member and want to preserve studying, you possibly can join a Membership here. It’s one of the best ways to each expertise the positioning and help our workers, and it comes with a bunch of other great benefits. Also, if you would like to ask a query for an upcoming mailbag, ship me an e-mail at mailbag@fangraphs.com.
