According to reports today, Houston has decided to select Stanford righthander Mark Appel, leaving Georgia prep outfielder Byron Buxton to be selected by the Twins with the second overall selection.
Twins director of player personnel Mike Radcliff said they have yet to confirm what Houston's intentions are and will be prepared for any scenario when it's their turn to pick.
The Twins have narrowed their choices to Appel and Buxton. They worked out shortstop Carlos Correa in recent weeks, but he apparently isn't worth that high of a pick in their eyes. They apparently have backed off of USF righthander Kyle Zimmer, a pitcher they scouted extensively this year.
The Twins have three picks today. Nos. 2, 32 and 42. They are expected to draft at least one pitcher on Monday, and could select two. Coverage of the draft begins at  6 p.m. on the MLB Network. Check back here when the Twins' picks are made to learn about their new players.
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La Velle E. Neal III has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs. He attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star. He can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, lending his great baseball mind to Paul Allen and other hosts.
Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.
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