Twins rookie speedster Byron Buxton was out early again this week, polishing a skill that could limit slumps and drive opponents to distraction.
Bunting.
With first-base coach Butch Davis feeding baseballs into a pitching machine and Twins manager Paul Molitor watching intently from a spot halfway up the first-base line, Buxton bent at the knees and dropped bunt after bunt.
"That's a base hit!" Davis yelped.
Molitor, arms folded, nodded and used his left foot to redirect another ball toward the growing pile near the mound.
The previous night, Buxton was credited with the third bunt single of his young career.