Twins Slugger Byron Buxton Brings Love of Skittles to Players’ Weekend

Byron Buxton is showing off his love for his favorite sweet treat during Players’ Weekend.

He arrived for the Twins’ weekend series against the San Diego Padres in Skittles-themed gear, with MLB jokingly telling fans to “taste the rainbow” while showcasing the colorful equipment. The Twins had an equally simple question when showing it off themselves: “Do you think Buck likes Skittles?”

For Buxton, that would probably be akin to asking whether grass is green, considering his relationship with the candy extends far beyond a single Players’ Weekend.

Buxton Has Always Loved Skittles

Taste the rainbow 🌈

Byron Buxton's gear for #PlayersWeekend is all Skittles-themed 😂 pic.twitter.com/TO67f8CdjB
— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2026

A 2014 profile from the Star Tribune (subscription required) written when Buxton was still one of baseball's top prospects, revealed that he kept a pound of Skittles next to his bed and claimed to eat between eight and 10 packs per day.

A regular person might raise an eyebrow at that sort of diet, although professional athletes obviously have very different energy demands. Quick-digesting carbohydrates can have a place around competition, but eight to 10 packs of Skittles probably stretches that principle beyond recognition.

Buxton is hardly the first athlete to thumb his nose at a traditional diet. CBS Sports reported that wide receiver DK Metcalf once admitted to eating three or four bags of candy a day, while GQ detailed how Dwight Howard’s sugar habit became so extreme that he eventually overhauled his diet entirely.

Compared with those examples, Buxton’s Skittles habit starts to sound almost reasonable. His love for the candy has followed him well into his Major League career, with MLB even noting that he has been known to trade autographs for bags of Skittles. Most agents would probably consider that a terrible return, but Buxton might have seen it as a bargain — sign a piece of paper and walk away with more of his favorite snack.

The candy has not exactly slowed his production on the field, either. Buxton enters Sunday with a .251/.316/.513 slash line and 25 home runs. His biggest limitation has usually been staying on the field as much as baseball fans would like. Whether a little extra sugar has anything to do with that is a question for a dietitian, not a sportswriter.

One thing a sportswriter can safely infer is that the Twins are unlikely to care about Buxton’s love for candy as long as he keeps producing. Players’ Weekend was simply another reminder that even elite athletes can have a sweet tooth that follows them all the way to stardom.

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