Neal’s 3-2 Pitch: All-Star nod is good for Byron Buxton, and for baseball’s pursuit of Black players

La Velle's 3-2 Pitch: Three observations and two predictions on Sundays.

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When the Twins played host to the Yankees last month, Byron Buxton took the field in the early afternoon with New York righthander Nestor Cortes Jr. before a game. The pair filmed a commercial promoting the upcoming All-Star Game.

Both were having good seasons, but neither Buxton nor Cortes knew at the time they were going to make the team. Major League Baseball wanted to be prepared, just in case, and the league never misses an opportunity to diversify its group of top players who it sees as faces of the game.

Buxton has never been an All-Star. He's dreamed of one day playing in the game, and that will happen Tuesday. While he's probably the best center fielder and one of its better power hitters, Buxton has not been considered one of baseball's elite players. Injuries have played a significant role. This weekend, Buxton closed in on 300 plate appearances this season, his most since 2017. He's only played three postseason games, where a player can showcase his talents on the biggest stage.

Making the All-Star team will boost his profile.

"Maybe seeing him on the diamond at Dodger Stadium for the All-Star Game (will help)," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "And hopefully, in postseason play. Those are the things that really elevate a player nationally, in my mind, in this game.

"And I think Byron, just the way he plays, already has some national notoriety. But I think it will skyrocket, assuming he can continue to stay healthy."

Making this year's All-Star Game not only helps Buxton, it helps baseball.

According to the latest racial and gender report card released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES), 38% of MLB players in 2022 were people of color, up from 37.6% in 2021. But the percentage of Black players dipped from 7.6% to 7.2% — that's the lowest number since TIDES began reporting data in 1991, two years before Buxton was born.

MLB sees the decline in Black players in recent decades as a problem. It's one reason why there are RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) programs across the country, exposing Black youth — and kids from other backgrounds — to the sport. The league also has entered a 10-year agreement with the Players Alliance, a nonprofit group formed by 100 Black current and former players. The goal is to improve the number of Black players, coaches, managers and front-office officials.

So Buxton, from Baxley, Ga., gets to realize a dream while getting the recognition he deserves for being one of the best players in the game. And baseball will use the event to promote Buxton and other top Black players. Especially this year, which is the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier for the same team that is hosting this year's Midsummer Classic.

Priority: harmony

One thing we have learned about Bill Guerin is that he likes a happy locker room. It should not have been a surprise that he dealt Wild goaltender Cam Talbot to Ottawa on Tuesday instead of risking potential playing time drama between him and Marc-Andre Fleury.

When he determined that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were affecting team chemistry, Guerin bought out their contracts and accepted the resulting salary cap hits. The remaining players responded, as the Wild racked up a franchise-record 113 points last season.

To aid that playoff run, Guerin added Fleury — and a couple of gritty players — before the trade deadline. They had to be high-character players. He wanted the Fleury-Talbot tandem to work, but moved on when he sensed there could be goaltender drama. He took tranquility over talent again, while creating about $2.9 million in cap space.

Minott worth the wait

You don't have to watch Josh Minott to know when he's made a nice play. Just listen. The Wolves' second-round pick is a screamer. He likes firing himself and teammates up with his voice and energy.

"It's everything," Minott said. "I am energy. I feel like the embodiment of it, you know.

"Whenever I sense the team is down, I want to be that spark."

Minott, the 45th overall pick who was nicknamed "Baby Giannis" during his one year at Memphis, is a 6-8 jumping jack who dunks whenever he can, runs the floor well and uses his 6-11 wingspan effectively on defense. Wolves coach Chris Finch looked delighted after one sequence last week during Summer League play in Las Vegas when Minott grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup.

Minott might need a couple of years of G-League development to work on his outside shot and smooth some rough edges, but he looks like a nice project.

... AND TWO PREDICTIONS ...

Part-time role for Sano

Barring an injury to a teammate, Miguel Sano will only be a platoon player when he completes his rehab assignment and rejoins the Twins.

Loons forward will heat up

Luis Amarilla will end up leading the Loons in goals. He's too talented to have just five goals.