Byron Buxton's speed is in a league by itself

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. – Miguel Sano picked a simple, obvious adjective to describe Byron Buxton's speed.

"Fast," he said.

Yes, fast works, it's correct. But that's like saying Bill Gates is wealthy.

There's fast. There's very fast. And then there's Buxton's speed, which should be assigned a Mach number.

Former Twins manager Tom Kelly once compared Buxton's speed to onetime baseball lightning bolts Willie Wilson and Devon White.

"Most people, they go to a game, they follow the ball," Kelly told the Star Tribune in 2013. "With this young man, you really need to keep your eyes on him. If you do, you will be very entertained."

I did that, and I was entertained.

"It's a video game," Chattanooga Lookouts manager Doug Mientkiewicz said.

Or a cartoon. Picture the Road Runner playing baseball.

Scouts classify Buxton, the top-rated prospect in Major League Baseball, as a five-tool player. His speed is the hammer.

"That speed can't be explained," Lookouts pitcher Jose Berrios said. "I never see a guy faster than him."

This season Buxton has nearly twice as many triples (11) as doubles (six), which seems almost implausible. Buxton also has an inside-the-park home run. He was thrown out at home another time attempting to stretch a triple.

"If you blink he'll be at third base," Lookouts closer Zack Jones said.

Buxton automatically thinks triple on balls hit to the gap. Mientkiewicz also coaches third base and doesn't believe in the stop sign with Buxton.

"It's a lot easier driving me in from third than it is second," Buxton noted.

Mientkiewicz said Buxton should have two inside-the-park home runs. A few weeks ago, on a ball hit down the left-field line, Buxton had double in mind coming out of the batter's box.

The ball rolled past the left fielder, giving Buxton an easy triple. He was ticked he didn't score.

A few games later, Buxton circled the bases on a hit off the center field wall. Mientkiewicz said the play at home "was semi-close."

Several of Buxton's teammates identified the same area on the field as being their favorite part of watching him run bases.

"Once he gets around second base, it's just like a whole 'nother gear," first baseman Max Kepler said. "He's got more triples to left field than right."

Said Jones: "It's fun to watch someone that fast dig it out and make triples out of doubles. It's absurd. It's nice having that [speed] in the outfield too."

Pitchers love Buxton because he chases down everything from his center field position. He has saved a few games with his defense this season.

"I know people love Target Field and so do I," he said. "But part of me would really like to see this kid get after it in the Metrodome on the turf. It would be ridiculous."

Speaking of ridiculous, Buxton says he wasn't even the fastest in his own family growing up. He always lost races against his dad and older brother, both named Felton.

"It's funny because I was probably the slowest one," he said. "My dad could beat me in running until I was 17."

It's hard to imagine anyone beating the Buxton Blur in a race.

"Well, I'm a lot faster now," he said.