The outfielder was once an athletic prodigy from southeastern Georgia.
Byron Buxton's path to baseball stardom began from small beginnings, as the Twins star grew up in rural Georgia.
The outfielder has now played for over a decade in the majors, becoming the cornerstone player for Minnesota. Despite injury issues, he has lived up to the expectations that were put on him when he was drafted No. 2 overall in 2012.
Still, Buxton comes from a small area of the country that is quite far away from Minneapolis. Here's a breakdown of Buxton's roots and how he got to this point.
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Byron Buxton hometown
Buxton was born and raised in Baxley, Ga., which is located in the southeastern portion of the state. Baxley is about 3.5 hours south of Atlanta, located more in rural Georgia, and is actually closer to Florida, sitting just over two hours away from Jacksonville.
"He's just a country boy," Buxton's mother, Carrie, said in a 2012 ESPN story. "Where we live is the country. Our neighbors have cows, horses, and chickens."
Buxton attended Appling County High School in Baxley, where he was a multi-sport athlete playing baseball, basketball, and football. With nothing much to do in the area, Buxton mainly focused on sports.
"We just did stuff outside, played sports, and when we weren't doing that, we'd maybe go to Wal-Mart," Buxton's cousin Kevin Cooper said, via the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2017. "We did country stuff."
It was there where Buxton was a baseball star, helping lead Appling to a Georgia state championship.
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Byron Buxton college
Buxton was drafted No. 2 overall in 2012 by the Twins, and he chose to sign with Minnesota instead of attending college. However, Buxton was committed to the University of Georgia even though the baseball program knew it was unlikely he would attend.
"We knew that the chances of him coming to school were probably never under those circumstances," then-baseball head coach David Perno said, via ESPN. "That's a situation where we've had our share in the past, and you kind of sign them as a PR-type situation because he's a great player. You sign him, but you never count on him coming."
Byron Buxton football career
In high school, Buxton played baseball, basketball, and football, but he dropped basketball early on to focus on the other two. He played quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, and even punter for his high school football team, and he could've pursued football if he wanted.
"He's the best athlete I ever coached," Appling County High athletic director and football coach J.T. Pollock said, via the Star Tribune. "He made one All-State team as a receiver, made another as a defensive back, punted for us, was our backup kicker. "
If Buxton decided to go to college, he would've tried to walk-on to the Georgia football team, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. However, with the Twins drafting him so high, Buxton remained on course for a baseball career.
When it was time to choose between baseball and football, Buxton instead chose baseball for a few reasons.
"In football, you have concussions, you can have guys going for your knees, tearing up your ACLs," Buxton said. "Plus, I just have a passion for baseball. I like diving for the ball, getting dirty. I like hitting home runs."
Category: Baseball
