MLB Draft 2016: First round coverage and results

The draft lasts 40 rounds over three days, with the first two rounds on Thursday, Rounds 3-10 on Friday, and Rounds 11-40 on Saturday. We will track the first two days and 10 rounds here, with more information and later-round picks available from our various team websites.

There were only two amateur players at the draft in person, so unlike the made-for-TV NFL or NBA drafts there are very few opportunities for pictures with drafted players and the commissioner holding up a new jersey. Both high schoolers in attendance are right-handed pitcher Ian Anderson from Shenendehowa High School in Clinton Park, NY, and outfielder Will Benson from The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, GA.

Heading into the MLB Draft on Thursday evening, almost everyone had Florida left-hander A.J. Puk penciled in as the No. 1 overall pick. A 6’7 lefty who can touch 99 on the radar gun and come at you with a three-pitch mix is, after all, about as precious a commodity as one can find in pro baseball. But concerns over control and consistency ended up convincing the Phillies (who grabbed high school pitcher Mickey Moniak instead) and five other clubs to pass.

Puk was finally snatched up by Oakland with the No. 6 pick, becoming an intriguing, high-ceiling prospect with elite size and arm talent but some edges that need smoothing. His rocky, five-run outing against UConn in the first round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament last weekend marked the seventh start this season in which he’s failed to make it past the fifth inning.

The first day of the 2016 MLB Draft was a life-changing day for nearly 80 players. Many celebrated the day at huge draft parties surrounded with family and friends. Astros first round pick Forrest Whitley was a little too busy for that.

Whitley was actually in the middle of a state playoff game when the Astros selected him with the No. 17 pick. Whitley had just completed the third inning of the semifinal game in the state playoffs when the Astros picked him. It probably didn’t take long for word to get back to him. The crowd surely knew when they gave him a large ovation when he exited in the seventh inning.

This was the pick Chicago received for losing free agent Jeff Samardzija.

The right-hander struck out 46 and walked only seven in his 26 innings, saving 11 games. Burdi earned Louisville Slugger All-America honors in 2016.

“His defense is obviously there,” one scout said in January, per Alyson Footer of MLB.com. “It’ll take time to see how much he hits. It’s the hardest thing to project, because it’s the hardest thing to do. But he’s where he needs to be with his speed and defense.”

Perez is 6’3 and a reported 165 pounds, but he doesn’t turn 17 until November, which gives him plenty of time to grow and gives him plenty of upside, especially on offense.

Harold Reynolds is very passionate about baseball; not always so much about making sense.

So what Harold is probably trying to say here is that the player in question is young for a junior in college, which makes sense. What he *did* say, however, is not that, which means we get to laugh.

The Boston Red Sox went to the prep ranks with their first pick of the 2016 MLB Draft, selecting left-handed pitcher Jason Groome with the No. 12 overall pick on Thursday night.

Groome was rated by Baseball America in May as the third-best draft prospect this year, and the highest-ranked high school left-hander available. BA praised Groome for his fastball, which sits from 90-94 and has reached 97, and said, “Physically, Groome is as gifted as any player in the class.”

Despite significant missed time due to injury, bloodlines ruled the day, with Cal Quantrill getting picked in the first round with the No. 8 overall pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2016 MLB Draft on Thursday night.

Cal is the son of Paul Quantrill, the former reliever who pitched for seven teams over 14 seasons from 1992-2005. Paul was drafted in the sixth round by the Boston Red Sox back in 1989.

University of Florida left-handed pitcher A.J. Puk was selected by the Oakland A’s with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.

The pitcher was highly touted after his three years in Gainesville, showing up at the top of many mocks in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Louisville outfielder Corey Ray was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.

The 6-foot, 190-pound left-hander hit .319/.396/.562 in his junior season in 2016, with 16 doubles, 15 home runs and 44 stolen bases. Ray was ranked by Baseball America in May as the sixth-best prospect entering the draft.

Pint comes with the allure of triple digits on the radar gun, averaging in the high-90s with his fastball and regularly hitting 100 mph, up to 102. He is also a good athlete, an all-state basketball player as a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kan. But in his senior season Pint focused on baseball.

“To stay away from injury, the best thing for him with where he’s at was to not play basketball this season,” Pint’s high school baseball coach Lorne Parks told USA Today in May.

The Cincinnati Reds went with a college bat with their first-round pick, taking Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel with the second overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft on Thursday night from MLB Network Studios in New Jersey.

Senzel hit .352/.456/.595 with eight home runs and 25 doubles as a junior in 2016 at Tennessee and was named second-team All-SEC and a Louisville Slugger third-team All-American.

The 6’2 center fielder was clocked in the 60-yard dash at 6.58 seconds, per Abbey Mastracco of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Moniak was rated as the eighth-best prospect in the 2016 draft in May by Baseball America, who said he “explodes around the basepaths and earns plus defensive grades in center field.”

Moniak helped the Team USA under-18 team capture the gold medal at the 2015 U18 Baseball World Cup in Japan.

Thursday’s coverage will be televised by MLB Network while also simulcast on MLB.com, beginning with an hour-long pre-draft show at 6 p.m. ET. Greg Amsinger will anchor coverage along with Peter Gammons, Harold Reynolds, Dan O’Dowd and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.

Thursday is the first of three days of the draft, with selections from the first two rounds, plus Competitive Balance Rounds A & B. Friday will feature Rounds 3-10, with Rounds 11-40 concluding the draft on Saturday.

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What’s fascinating about this year’s draft in particular is that it’s not quite clear who the Phillies are taking with the first overall pick. Everything everyone does behind them, at least early on, will be determined in part by the first pick Philadelphia does make. There are also whispers that there could be an early emphasis on arms -- you have seen how much pitchers cost in trades and free agency lately, so you can probably guess why -- leaving some top-10-worthy bats outside the top 10.

On Thursday night there will be a total of 77 selections, including the first two rounds plus Competitive Balance Rounds A and B, which award picks by lottery to teams from the 10 smallest markets and 10 lowest revenue teams.

The Padres, who also have the first pick of the Competitive Balance Round B (No. 71 overall) in addition to their second-round pick (No. 48), have an MLB-high five picks among the first 77 selections on Thursday night.

On Thursday, the first two rounds will be selected, including compensatory picks for lost free agents who rejected the qualifying offer, plus Competitive Balance Rounds A and B. The two competitive balance rounds are six picks each, and awarded by lottery among the bottom 10 teams in revenue and market size. Round A follows the first round, and Round B follows the second round.

Competitive Balance Rounds picks are the only draft picks that are allowed to be traded, and each pick can only be dealt once.