Buxton takes his people-first mentality into ASG in his home state

Yes, Byron Buxton hails from Georgia -- Baxley to be specific, in the southeastern part of the state. Yes, be assured, he’s thrilled to be making his second career All-Star Game appearance in his home state. But no, he’s not worried about having to tend to a massive entourage of well-wishers and hangers-on during All-Star week.

As he does on the field, as he does in the clubhouse, when it comes to his traveling party, he focuses on what matters most: His people.

“My job is to make sure my family's taken care of,” Buxton said. “I'm a family man. As long as my parents, my family, my wife's family [are] good, that's it. I'm not nobody else's dad, nor am I trying to be.”

He says it with a smile, but it’s not a joke. Buxton puts family ahead of everything, and only family comes before the team. It’s all about his people -- the people in his home, the people in his clubhouse. If they’re good, he’s good.

The All-Star experience is meaningful to him, but it’s largely because it’s meaningful to his favorite people. And that starts with wife Lindsey and his sons, Brix, Blaze and Baire. Buxton spends all offseason in Baxley, surrounded by family. The Buxtons homeschool the boys, so they can all be together all season. It’s family before anything else.

His participation in the Home Run Derby, in fact, stems in part from Brix’s excitement.

“That's all he cares about,” Buxton said. “So that's exciting. There's a lot of stuff that's going on throughout the festivities of All-Star weekend, and like I said, the smallest little thing that you can ask for is what he wants to do, so it's definitely a big deal.”

The Derby is also a chance for him to recognize another of his people, third-base coach Tommy Watkins, who will pitch to him. The relationship between Watkins and Buxton goes back to Buxton’s days at then Low-A Cedar Rapids.

“Me and Tommy have been together now since 2013,” Buxton said. “So I've seen his BP quite a bit now. It's a special moment. Somebody that's been with me pretty much my whole career, as a coach, and to have him be able to go with me is a good moment.”

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Asked about his previous All-Star experience, in 2022, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t anything on the field. It’s not an at-bat or a catch. It’s a moment with a teammate, then-Mariner Ty France. The two had a long talk in the dugout, and it has stayed with Buxton. Now he’s going back.

Over the course of 11 seasons at the big league level, Buxton has played at an All-Star level many times. He’s one of the finest all-around talents in the sport, a player who can change a game at the plate, in the field or on the bases.

But this is only his second All-Star selection. That’s less because of performance and more because of health, but even so, it’s meaningful to the club to see him recognized.

“He doesn’t have a huge ego,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He is there to hug his teammates and pump his fist and do the ‘truck’ (his trademark celebration of a big hit). He loves doing it with his teammates and he loves winning. That’s what he’s all about, those things.

“But I love, and all the people around him love, him getting some attention and some more love and some more appreciation from the rest of the country and the rest of the players in the league.”

Buxton doesn’t really think that way, though. He’s uninterested in accolades or credit. He’s looking to win games, and to feel and foster tight bonds within the clubhouse. And the farther he gets into his career, the more he feels a responsibility to create that culture, rather than simply experiencing it.

“If somebody comes in here that's new and don't quite understand things,” he said, “I want them to be themselves no matter what and be comfortable whatever the situation is. So I think it's my job to make sure that you don't come in here pressing and understand that you can be yourself and just have fun.”