Buxton earns spot among MWL stars

Byron Buxton played just 68 games for the Cedar Rapids Kernels this season, but his performance was enough for baseball's top prospect to earn Midwest League Most Valuable Player, Prospect of the Year and a place among its 2013 Post-Season All-Stars, the league announced Friday.

The 19-year-old center fielder hit a blistering .341 with eight homers, 55 RBIs and 32 stolen bases prior to a well-earned promotion in late June to Class A Advanced Fort Myers. A Twins prospect who turned heads with his defense as well as his bat while with Cedar Rapids, he has gone on to hit .333 with four long balls and 23 steals in 54 games for the playoff-bound Miracle.

Buxton is joined by former teammate Adam Brett Walker, the league's likely home run king, and Dalton Hicks, who's currently manning first base for the Miracle after amassing 82 RBIs in 89 games for the Kernels.

Top pitching honors among starters went to right-hander Dylan Floro of Bowling Green and Clinton southpaw Tyler Pike. Floro was 9-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 19 games before bumping up to Charlotte in the FSL, while Pike is 7-4 with a 2.37 ERA over 22 outings.

The Hot Rods matched the Kernels as the only two clubs with a trio of Post-Season All-Stars as outfielder Andrew Toles and catcher Luke Maile joined Floro on the squad.

Mark Haley earned Manager of the Year after guiding South Bend to the first-half Eastern Division title and its first playoff berth since 2009.