MLB Draft Tracker 2012: Teams That Scored the Biggest Wins in Round 1

Some teams knew what they wanted when the 2012 MLB draft began on Monday night, and they came away as big winners. Others who had to do more guesswork weren't so lucky. 

The teams that won the biggest in the first round were the ones who went with prospects who have the right combination of upside and proven skill, who have already proven to be great but still have much more to achieve. 

Here's a look at the teams that did the best work on the draft boards on Monday. 

Minnesota Twins—Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County HS (Ga.) 

Buxton entered this draft as the top prospect on many a pundit's board. He may be in high school and he may have burst onto the scene as late as last August, when he blew away the competition at the East Coast Showcase, but he still managed to establish himself as the outfielder of the future to watch.

The best thing Buxton has in his arsenal is his speed, which is unparalleled across the board. He's going to be a serious base-stealing threat for the Twins, and no one is going to hit many balls that escape his glove in the outfield, either. His offense is already above average, too, and he's been described as a true five-tool player. Do his skills, particularly offensively, still need some development? Yes, but he's 18 years old, so there's plenty of time for it to happen.

Last week, Buxton led his team to the Class AA state championship, where he pitched a complete game with 18 K's. He hit .513 this year and was undefeated with 10 wins on the mound, and he could hit 99 mph on the radar gun. According to Yahoo! Sports' Jay Busbee, scouts have said he's "the fastest out of the batter's box since Bo Jackson."

The Twins are going to win big with this pick. It might take a few years, but Buxton will be terrorizing the big-league basepaths at some point in the near future.

Seattle Mariners—Mike Zunino, C, Florida

If there was one thing the Mariners needed in this draft, it was a catching prospect who wouldn't be a bust, and they got that prospect—the only one on this board—in Mike Zunino.

Zunino was considered the only catching prospect worth taking in the first round—even this high, considering how hard it has proven to be to develop a major league catcher. The Mariners have never drafted well at the position; names like Jeff Clement and Ryan Christianson cloud the front office's draft history.

But Zunino is different. For one thing, he's one of the few prospects who projects to be able to stay at the position for the duration of his career, and he has the ideal build for a major league backstop. 

This season, he's a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the best catcher in the college ranks, as well as the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best overall college player. He's hit 35 homers in the last two years and was named a first-team Louisville Slugger All-America last week.

Now, Zunino and former Yankees prospect Jesus Montero stand alone as the only established catching prospects in the Mariners' organization. When all is said and done, Zunino should be the one behind home plate a few years down the line.

Pittsburgh Pirates — Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

The Pirates won big when Appel, widely regarded as a possible No. 1 overall selection, dropped all the way to No. 8. According to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it's a match made in heaven: The Pirates have been tracking Appel since high school, throughout college and had representatives present at each of his starts in 2012. 

Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Brink, "We're very pleased that he was sitting there when it was our selection. We said we would stay true to the board, that we would take the best player available on the board."

Such a high-caliber prospect doesn't often fall out of the top five, and now Appel is just the latest righty to join the Pirates' ever-growing minor league pitching arsenal that also includes former draft picks Gerrit Cole and James Taillon. 

The 6'5" Stanford standout went 10-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 2012, and in the Cardinal's College World Series regional versus Fresno State last Friday, he pitched a complete game and allowed just one run with 11 strikeouts. He can throw as hard as 99 mph and possesses all of the physical tools to be a huge success for the Pirates sooner rather than later.