Twins select Byron Buxton with the second pick
Jose Berrios selected with 32nd pick and Luke Bard selected with 42nd pick of the compensation round
The Minnesota Twins announced tonight that they have selected outfielder Byron Buxton from Appling County High School in Georgia with the second overall selection in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
The 19-year old is the top ranked high school prospect in the country by Baseball America. He was the 2011-2012 Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year after leading Appling County High School to the Georgia Class AA State Championship this season.
The 6-foot-2, 185 pound First Team Rawlings Preseason All-American hit .513 with 17 doubles, three home runs, 35 rbi and 38 stolen bases during his senior season. On the mound, Buxton was 10-1 with five saves, and 154 strikeouts in 81.0 innings pitched. In the deciding game of the Georgia 2-A state championship series on Thursday, Buxton struck out 18 batters while pitching 7.0 innings.
In 2011, Buxton hit .594 with 17 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and 48 rbi. He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game, where he advanced to the final round of the home run derby.
Buxton also was an All-State defensive back and receiver for the Appling County High School football team as a senior and was All-Region as a quarterback after his junior year.
This was the Twins’ highest draft pick since they selected Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. This marks the third time the Twins have had the number two overall selection (2000 and 1996) in the draft.
Byron Buxton was recommended by Twins scout Jack Powell.
In addition, the Twins selected right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios out of Papa Juan XXIII High School in Puerto Rico with the 32nd overall selection. Berrios participated in the 2011 Under Armour All-American Game. He was recommended by Twins scout Hector Otero.
With their final selection on day one, the Twins selected right-handed pitcher Luke Bard out of Georgia Tech University with the 42nd overall selection. Bard was 1-0-2, 0.99 (27.1 ip, 3 er) with 20 hits, six walks and 26 strikeouts in 11 appearances (3 starts) for the Yellow Jackets this season. Bard is the younger brother of Boston Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard. He was recommended by Twins scout Jack Powell.