A.J. Puckett

Puckett's medical report includes a rare notation; an accident after his sophomore year in high school led to a left partial hematoma (swelling and blood-clotting) in his head, and he was in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. The accident left him with small plates in his skull and forced him to give up his football career at prestigious De La Salle High in the Bay Area, but he stuck with baseball and became one of the nation''s best pitchers as a junior. Puckett has a pitcher's body at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, and while he has a high elbow in his delivery, he repeats his arm action and pounds the strike zone with three pitches. His fastball command and velocity have improved in 2016, as he locates his low 90s heater that touches 94-mph regularly. His upper-70s curveball made strides this spring, flashed above-average, though at times it's loopy and in the low 70s. Puckett trusts his changeup and sells it well, and his feel for pitching and improved confidence helped produce a 45 2/3 innings scoreless streak at one point this spring. He has pitched his way into second-round consideration.