The Minnesota Twins took the player they felt had the most potential when they made Byron Buxton the second overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. In doing so, they passed on pitcher Mark Appel -- who apparently had some signability issues, something the Twins don't foresee being a problem with their new center fielder.
High school phenoms are sometimes hard to sign, but Twins director of scouting Daron Johnson said during media availability on Monday night that Minnesota doesn't believe signing Buxton will be a problem.
The Twins will have until July 13 to sign Buxton, who would receive a $6.2 million signing bonus if he is paid according to MLB's slot for the No. 2 pick. They have roughly $12.36 million to spend on their 13 picks in the first 10 rounds of the draft, which is more than any team in baseball. A good chunk of that money will go to Buxton, but Johnson didn't think signing him would be a problem.
"This kid wants to play. He's a baseball player," Johnson said. "He's ready to get his career started. I saw this kid probably six times. Had lunch with him twice. Met the family, know the family. We know this kid very well. He's a tremendous kid."
Hopefully he really wants to play baseball so his ascent to the majors is a quick one.
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