Despite presence of Cody Bellinger, Jackson Merrill in MLB, ex- Mariners All-Star Harold Reynolds names $100M star as the best center fielder

New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger and San Diego Padres All-Star Jackson Merrill are two of the best defensive players in their respective leagues.

However, former Seattle Mariners All-Star Harold Reynolds preferred Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder, Byron Buxton. Reynolds agreed with his fellow panelists on MLB Network that a fit and healthy Buxton propels the Twins to the postseason.

"He's the best center fielder in the game. There's no debate when he's healthy. There's no debate you throw everybody out there, there's no debate," Reynolds said.

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Reynolds mentioned Twins icon Kirby Pucket as the outfielder who made the position his own. He then mentioned nine-time Gold Glove winner Tori Hunter as his successor who starred in center field. Reynolds mentioned Buxton, signed to a $100 million contract, as their heir. He added;

"So I want to take you back and show you a little bit of the center fielders the organization has produced over the last 30 years. You got Byron Buxton, who grabbed the reigns from Tori Hunter and Tori got it from Kirby Puckett. Those are three guys that you kind of like to be able to patrol your outfield to go get things done. But the uniqueness of all three of them is that provide power too."

Byron Buxton has been hot at the start of May, smashing home runs in three consecutive games to take his tally to nine for the season. His hitting streak ended against the Baltimore Orioles in the series finale on Thursday, though he drove in two runs for the team in a 5-2 win.

Byron Buxton credits weather for his hot streak in May

Byron Buxton's hot streak has helped the Twins to five consecutive wins and the All-Star outfielder credited the weather behind his impressive performances in Minnesota.

“This is that feel-good weather. This is what heats us up to go into the rest of the summer,” he said. “Most of the time when the weather gets a little warmer around here, that’s pretty much when everybody starts putting things together, feeling good.”

Although the Gold Glove winner went hitless on Thursday, Buxton displayed his defensive skills to save a run for the team by tagging out Emmanuel Rivera at home plate with a rocket throw.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash