NEW YORK -- Twins outfielder Byron Buxton went to the Jackie Robinson Museum in Manhattan on Friday and had an eye-opening experience. 

Buxton saw how Robinson changed the world by becoming the first Black player to break the color barrier and play Major League Baseball.

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Buxton also came to the conclusion that Robinson should be known for more than just his skills on the baseball diamond. Robinson’s accomplishments off the field were just as dazzling to Buxton.

“Most people probably don’t know half the stuff he did,” Buxton said prior to Saturday’s game against the Yankees on Jackie Robinson Day at the Stadium. “The man wasn’t just a baseball player; He went to the Army. He was an activist [in the Civil Rights Movement]. He walked beside Martin Luther King [during the 1960s]. [Robinson] stood up for the Black Panther Party.  

“That is stuff that needs to be known a lot more. They don’t teach that in school. You need to start spreading that word so that more people know. … Jackie is the reason why half of the stuff we are able to do now is in effect.”

Born in Georgia, like Robinson, Buxton also had Hank Aaron on his mind Saturday. Buxton said Aaron changed the way he looks at the game of baseball.

“He had 755 home runs. Nobody expected him to do that,” Buxton said. “We just need to learn more. It’s more than just baseball with Jackie and Hank. It’s more than just, ‘Oh, they tried to do this or they did it.’ No, they went through hell and back to try to get us black players to this position where we are today.”