Twins' Byron Buxton named top prospect in Gulf Coast League
Get the 1500 ESPN SportsWire delivered to your inbox daily, and keep up with all the news in Twin Cities Sports
MINNEAPOLIS -- On Tuesday, Baseball America named Minnesota Twins first-round draft pick Byron Buxton the top prospect in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.
Buxton, an 18-year-old outfielder, was selected No. 2 overall by the Twins in the June draft. Between the Gulf Coast League and Appalachian League (both at the rookie-ball level), Buxton hit .248/.344/.448 with five home runs, 10 doubles, four triples and 11 stolen bases.
Buxton was ranked just ahead of No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa, a shortstop in the Houston Astros organization.
"The thing that's come out now that we've gotten to know him, he's a great teammate, a great worker, he cares, he tries to pay attention to detail -- all those things that you can't scout," general manager Terry Ryan said. "I would say we're really happy with Buxton. ...
"The only thing I was worried about was how much power he had. He's got power. He can hit a ball a long way."
Ryan also said Buxton is the fastest player in the Twins' system "by far," and "way faster" than the speedy Ben Revere.
The Twins signed Buxton for $6 million. The team is not required to place him on the 40-man roster until the fall of 2016.
Right-hander Jose Berrios, who the Twins selected with the 32nd overall pick, was left off the Top 20 list despite posting a 1.17 ERA with 49 strikeouts and only four walks in 30 2/3 innings of rookie ball this summer.
