Byron Buxton, possible No. 1 pick as a hitter, struck out 18 as a pitcher to win state title

By Aaron GleemanJun 1, 2012, 12:48 PM EST
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Georgia high school center fielder Byron Buxton will be one of the top five picks in Monday’s draft and might go No. 1 overall because of his five-tool skill set that includes spectacular speed and a high-upside bat.

Oh, and a great arm too.

Buxton’s team made the Georgia state championship series and they turned to him as a pitcher in the decisive final game yesterday. And boy did he deliver, racking up 18 strikeouts in seven innings for a complete-game victory.

He can spend the weekend celebrating, become famous Monday night, and then get started on negotiating a $5 million-plus contract. Not a bad week for the 18-year-old.

Marlins unveil what they’re putting in the space where the home run sculpture used to be

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By Craig CalcaterraNov 13, 2018, 10:13 AM EST
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Not long after the new ownership group bought the Miami Marlins, face of the franchise Derek Jeter made it clear that he wanted the home runs sculpture beyond the outfield fence gone. In October they announced that it would, in fact, be moving out to a plaza or the parking lot or someplace you’re unlikely to ever see it because who goes to Marlins games?

Today we got a tease of what the Marlins are doing with the space the sculpture is vacating:

It was only a matter of time before that green wall went away. There are a lot of things I like about the overall aesthetic of Marlins Park, but almost all of them are because of their novelty. Jeff Loria was bad for a lot of reasons, but one of the few good things he did was eschew nostalgia and traditionalism with the ballpark. Nostalgia and traditionalism, unfortunately, is the straw that stirs baseball’s drink, so any “weird” colors or flourishes were gonna be beat out of that place as the years went on. It was inevitable.

As for the “three-tier social space,” here’s hoping that tickets for it are cheap or the Marlins start winning ballgames soon, because the Marlins can’t really fill their existing spectator spaces now.