Florida southpaw A.J. Puk slides to A's at No. 6
The Oakland Athletics swiped Florida lefty A.J. Puk with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft on Thursday.
Puk, a 21-year-old junior who was previously drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2013, struck out 95 batters and issued 31 walks while compiling a 3.21 ERA over 70 innings for the Gators this season.
He was especially strong during last month's SEC Tournament, where he fanned seven over 7 1/2 innings in a loss to Connecticut, but according to Baseball America's JJ Cooper, Puk's draft stock slipped in the fifth inning of that game.
Puk was given a lead to hold and handed it back to the Huskies before being yanked in the fifth. From MLB Pipeline:
Puk arguably has the best raw stuff of any arm in the class, with the chance to have three plus pitches. He's capable of touching 96-97 mph with his fastball regularly. He can maintain his velocity deep into starts and while his changeup is his third pitch, it should be major-league average in the future.
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)
Despite where he was drafted, Puk still plays as a major leaguer. With a fastball in the high 90s, he's one of the more dangerous left-handers in the draft.
The Athletics can spend up to $4,069,200 of their $9,883,500 allotted bonus pool on the No. 6 pick without being penalized.