June 4, 2012: Coming off a 99-loss 2011 season, the Twins have the No. 2 pick in baseball's draft and select Byron Buxton, an 18-year-old outfielder at Appling County High School in Baxley, Ga. As a senior, the righthanded-hitting Buxton hit .513 with three home runs, 17 doubles, 35 RBI and 38 stolen bases in 39 attempts. The following week, the Twins sign Buxton to a $6 million bonus, the highest for any pick in the 2012 draft.
June 22, 2012: Buxton makes his pro debut for the Twins' Gulf Coast League affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla.
July 7, 2012: Buxton hits his first home run and steals his first base as a pro in the same game.
Aug. 6, 2012: Despite hitting only .216 in 27 games with the GCL Twins, Buxton is promoted to rookie league Elizabethton.
Aug. 28, 2012: Buxton hits .286 in 21 games with Elizabethton, finishing his first season with a .248 average, five homers, 20 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 48 games.
March 27, 2013: Buxton, ranked the No. 10 prospect in the minor leagues by Baseball America, plays all nine innings for the Twins in a 7-4 spring training victory over Pittsburgh. He opens the season at Cedar Rapids, the Twins' new Class A affiliate.
June 24, 2013: After tearing up the Midwest League to the tune of a .344 average, eight home runs, 10 triples, 68 runs and 32 stolen bases in 68 games, Buxton is promoted to Class A Fort Myers in the Florida State League.
Sept. 11, 2013: Buxton is named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year after a 2013 season where he combined to hit .334 with 12 homers, 18 triples and 55 stolen bases between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, helping both teams reach the postseason.
Nov. 5, 2013: Buxton's stint in the Arizona Fall League doesn't go as planned, as he hits .212 in 12 games for Glendale and is slowed by a shoulder injury.
March 16, 2014: Buxton, Baseball America's top prospect for 2014, injures his left wrist diving for a ball in a minor league spring training game. He ends up missing nearly six weeks because of the injury.
May 4, 2014: Finally healthy, Buxton opens the season at Fort Myers — not Class AA New Britain — and goes 0-for-4.
May 8, 2014: In only his fifth game of the season, Buxton reinjures the wrist sliding into a base. This time, the injury sidelines him until July 6.
July 18, 2014: The injury troubles continue as Buxton is hit on the right wrist during a 17-inning loss to Daytona, forcing him out of the lineup again.
Aug. 12, 2014: After playing 30 games (.240, four homers, 16 RBI) at Fort Myers in 2014, Buxton is promoted to Class AA New Britain.
Aug. 13, 2014: Buxton's career with the Rock Cats lasts one game, after his regular season ends with a frightening collision in the outfield. Buxton ran into teammate Mike Kvasnicka while trying to catch a fly ball at full speed. The collision knocked Buxton unconscious for more than 10 minutes. His final 2014 minor league numbers: 31 games, .234, four homers, 16 RBI and six stolen bases.
Oct. 27, 2014: Another injury: Buxton fractures his left middle finger diving for a ball in the Arizona Fall League, ending his stint with Salt River after 13 games.
March 4, 2015: Buxton doubles twice for the Twins in their first spring training game of the year, a 3-1 victory over the Gophers. Despite the injury-plagued 2014, Buxton is still rated the No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and assigned to the Twins' new Class AA affiliate in Chattanooga.
May 4, 2015: Buxton hits a walk-off, two-run homer to give Chattanooga a 2-0 victory over Jacksonville.
June 13, 2015: The Twins say they will recall Buxton. In 59 games with the Lookouts, he hit .283 six homers, 12 triples, 37 RBI, 44 runs and 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts.
