He can catch, and he has speed.
The only difference is the batting average.
When we look at the differences between Byron Buxton and DaShawn Keirsey Jr., it’s easy to highlight Keirsey’s career .116/.152/.211 slash line, while Buck is a career .243/.309/.485 hitter.
Buck started his career earlier, debuting at 22. Meanwhile, Keirsey reached the majors at 27. However, both showed serious potential early in their careers.
If he could become a league-average hitter, which is a .246/.316/.403 slash line this season, Deshawn Keirsey is the perfect backup to Byron Buxton, who’s on the IL with a rib injury, after the Minnesota Twins’ crazy trade deadline.
Before the deadline was complete, Harrison Bader would have been the everyday, plug-and-play man in center. However, the Twins traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Since the deadline, the Twins have started two other players in center besides Keirsey. They elevated Austin Martin from Triple-A and rookie Alan Roden, whom the Twins got from the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Twins will feel the loss of Bader. Still, they optioned Kiersey to Triple-A on August 5 because the organization has many options for a long-term Buxton backup. As we see down the stretch of the season, Keirsey is the best option in what has the makings to be a season-long try-out for the future.
Base path speed
The trade deadline ultimately left the Twins light on speed.
They traded Willi Castro and Bader at the deadline, leaving speed on the base paths as a hot commodity for a post-deadline Twins team.
Keirsey has speed on the base paths. He has eight stolen bases on 11 attempts this season, and even helped pull off a suicide squeeze bunt play Sunday, after coming in to run for Matt Wallner. Without his speed during that type of play, he doesn’t score, and the game potentially goes extra innings.
The Twins leveraged Kiersey’s speed in multiple situations. Whether they asked him to steal a bag or not, the clubhouse is not afraid to use him to pinch run in high-leverage situations near the end of a game.
Playing the field
Keirsey’s speed also helps factor into how effective one can be in center field.
Twins fans are used to seeing Buxton fly around center field, making diving stops and making the impossible seem possible. Kiersey can emulate some of Buxton’s speed, tracking potential hits off the crack of the bat just like his counterpart.
While the talent to track the ball immediately after the opposing batter hits it isn’t always there, his speed helps make up for initial mistakes on the first step.
Keirsey’s speed and ability to play the field would be an asset during Buxton’s absence. However, there are reasonable hesitations when it comes to his ability to become Buck’s permanent backup.
At the plate
Few Twins players terrify opposing batters like Buxton. His ability to hit HRs, and therefore pick up walks because pitchers are concerned about his power, is incomparable to anyone else on this year’s team.
Nobody should expect Keirsey to replicate Buxton’s production at the plate, nor would anyone else be expected to take the place of the 2025 Home Run Derby participant. The task would be to have the ability to get on base at nearly the same clip, which is around three and a half times every ten plate appearances this season. Meanwhile, the Twins have a .313 on-base percentage, which is in the bottom half of the MLB.
His age
Keirsey (28) is older than Martin (26) and Roden (25). His age shouldn’t be a significant factor. While the organization may see it in its best interest to develop and invest more time in the younger players, all three have similar major-league experience.
They have collectively played a combined 225 MLB games, and Austin Martin leads the way with 101. While many fans aren’t focused on the competition for the backup of the future for Buxton, it’s vital to the team’s future.
Keirsey’s speed and playmaking ability may lead to further opportunities down the stretch of this season, which will determine his ability to back up Buxton in the future.
