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Twins Select Byron Buxton With Second Pick Of 2012 MLB Draft

Here's B.J. Upton, but it might as well be Byron Buxton, as they look pretty similar on the baseball field.
Here's B.J. Upton, but it might as well be Byron Buxton, as they look pretty similar on the baseball field.

As expected by many, the Twins selected Byron Buxton, a toolsy outfielder from Appling County HS in Baxley, Georgia. What was not expected was the availability of Stanford starting pitcher Mark Appel, who was surprisingly passed over by the Astros with the #1 pick.

Buxton is 6'2", 190 pounds, and looks a heck of a lot like one of the Upton brothers on the field. He told the MLB Network, "I just want to get out there and play ball," in what is likely to be the best quote anybody gets out of him because after all he is a male high school senior. He is already being compared to every other smooth, slightly tall, athletic outfielder in baseball history, from Adam Jones to Mike Cameron to Eric Davis.

37% of Twinkie Town voters preferred Buxton with this pick, the highest percentage of any player available, including Appel, who came in at 31%.