Byron Buxton, the 19 year old center fielder from the Minnesota Twins organization, has been named Baseball America’s 2013 minor league player of the year.

Buxton, the second overall pick in 2012 from Appling County High in Baxely, GA., hit a cumulative.334/.424/.520 in his time spent at low Class A Cedar Rapids and high Class A Fort Myers. Over this time, Buxton went on to hit a minor league leading 18 triples and steal 55 bases, enough to rank him 12th in the minors. Buxton also finished second in runs scored, with 109 on the year, tenth in hits and seventh in OBP. He displayed abilities so honed, and performances so impressive that B.A. even cited one major league scout who referred to Buxton as “The best minor leaguer I have ever seen.”

Continuously compared to Mike Trout, many prospects believe Buxton has the potential to develop into a five tool beast that can make valuable contributions from the outfield. He had some slight issues with power, hitting only 12 home runs this year, which causes many to believe he won’t be a deep-ball machine in the majors. But he has been strong enough to drop in plenty of extra base hits, developing his .520 slugging percentage and quieting many of those who have doubted him.

Another huge feature in Buxton’s arsenal of skills is his ability to adjust and learn. Before breaking out, scouts previously voiced their concern over Buxton’s ability to consistently hit professional pitching, something that he has now proven to them. If Buxton has the drive to polish the rest of his attributes to the level which he took his bat, there may be no stopping this kid. To top things off, Buxton is doing it all at the age of 19, a full year younger than anyone else on the top-ten lists he ranks in.

They did a great job over at Baseball America breaking down their selection and analyzing the many steps they took before issuing a decision. Alongside extensive coverage of Buxton’s current production and former numbers, they provided juicy statistics that compared Buxton to many former young, breakout stars to see where he ranked among some of the best players in the past decade. And even if you don’t agree with their decision, they still give an in depth analysis of why Buxton was chosen.

Buxton has put up incredible numbers all year and has shown he is a well rounded threat on both sides of the field. And while there were many other distinguishable performances displayed this season, B.A. cites Buxton’s potential as what truly makes him stand out.

(Photo courtesy of wchinews.com and Janet Patton)