First-time Twins All-Stars Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez soak it all in

LOS ANGELES — When Luis Arraez’s turn to hit came around during batting practice on Tuesday, the Twins’ first baseman was ready — except for one thing. He took off his Twins cap, the one with a star next to the logo to designate his new status, and jumped into the cage.

“New haircut for the All-Star Game,” Arraez had explained the day before, showing off the tight braids arranged in a geometric pattern around his head. “Got to do something special.”

Even Arraez had to admit, however, that few things in his career will ever be as special as his first All-Star Game. Getting to represent the Twins, being treated like baseball royalty, meeting superstars and trying not to act like an autographic-seeking fan — “Everything about this, it’s a lot for me,” Arraez said in amazement. “This is a lot.”

But make no mistake, Arraez believes he belongs in this company.

“I’m having a good year. I’m hitting and I’m healthy and I’m stronger,” said Arraez, chosen as a reserve on the AL bench behind starting first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto. Players have been coming up to him this week to compliment him on his hitting approach, he said, “so it makes me feel really good.”

As he should, teammate Byron Buxton said.

“I knew Luis was going to be good. Because of his size, people didn’t expect him to hit the way he does,” Buxton said of the MLB batting leader. “But he told me he was going to do this, years ago. I always believed him. It’s just incredible.”

Arraez said the best part of the week was just looking around the AL clubhouse on Tuesday and appreciating all the talent assembled in that room. He has idolized fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera since childhood, so “getting to play on the same team as Miggy is exciting for me,” he said. “I tell him that. A lot of us [young players] do.”

If Arraez’s meet-everyone approach reflected his personality, so too did Buxton’s all-business demeanor before Tuesday’s game. Staying healthy is Buxton’s No. 1 concern, and the outfielder knows that the Twins had some trepidation about his determination to actually play in the game.

So Buxton, promoted to the starting lineup when center fielder Mike Trout went on the injured list, stuck to his normal pregame routine, as though it was a regular-season game at Target Field.

Rather than mingle with his fellow All-Stars during batting practice, or even taking a few swings when his turn came up, Buxton did his usual pregame session with the athletic trainer in order to loosen up his chronically balky right knee. He took his warmup swings in Dodger Stadium’s indoor cage, as he does before every Twins game he plays; Buxton has not taken batting practice on an MLB diamond in a couple of years.

He finally emerged shortly before the formal introductions on the field, wearing some neon-green shoes he brought for the occasion.

“I’m so glad he’s here. He deserves it, he deserves it,” Arraez said of his teammate. “I’m so happy when he’s in center [field], because he’s the best.”

Which is just about the highest compliment he can receive, Buxton said.

“My teammates believing in me, that’s important. Being part of a team, that’s why we’re here,” Buxton said. “I have accountability and responsibility of being an outfielder. I take it seriously. It’s important. “

It also puts him in elite company in Twins’ history, joining Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter as Twins center fielders who started All-Star Games. What’s it like to join that group?

“I wouldn’t say I have. Those two guys are in a special category,” Buxton said. “The things they accomplished, those are things I’m still working toward. I’m trying to get there.”