Ranking the Minnesota Twins First Round Picks of the Last Decade

Number 1: Minnesota Twins select Byron Buxton 2nd Overall in 2012

Buck is the no brainer number one on our list. However, it’s not like Byron has been fantastic in the MLB.

Byron was selected 2nd out of Appling County High School in Georgia after the Astros selected Carlos Correa first overall. Buxton made his MLB debut three years after being drafted, and played 46 games with the Twins that season.

After playing 92 games in 2016, Buxton hit .225 with 10 home runs. 2017 was Byron’s most successful season, as he played in 140 games, slashing .253/.313/.413. He hit 16 home runs that season, and drove in 51 runs, both career highs. Buxton also stole 29 bases in 2017, and was only caught once.

In 2018 and 2019 combined, Buxton only played 115 games, finishing with 10 home runs, 50 RBI’s, and 56 runs scored. During the 2018 season, Buxton played 36 games in the minors, some due to rehab, but most due to his poor performance in the MLB.

One thing that can never be questioned about Buxton is his defense. Buxton has a career 42 runs saved above average, and has made many memorable plays Twins fans will always remember.

Bringing us to now, Buxton is the unquestioned starter in centerfield for the Twins in 2020. But with Larnach and Kirilloff both playing corner outfield spots, and coming on strong, could we possibly see Max Kepler move to centerfield to make room for both of them going forward?

And although Buxton is number one on our list, we have to look back and see where else the Twins could have gone with this pick.

Although the 2012 draft wasn’t stacked, David Dahl, Addison Russell, Corey Seager and Marcus Stroman all went after Buxton in the first round.

So, there it is, our ranking of the last 10 Minnesota Twins first round draft picks. Although there hasn’t been a ton of winners, there is still some serious potential in our list.

Hopefully tonight the Minnesota Twins will add another player the caliber of Larnach or Kirilloff tonight with the 27th overall pick!