The 2016 MLB draft has been without a consensus top prospect throughout the evaluation process, but with the hours dwindling down until things get underway Thursday in Secaucus, New Jersey, the guessing games will soon be over.
The Philadelphia Phillies control things at the top of the order with their first No. 1 overall pick since 1998, while the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves round out the top three.
A.J. Puk, LHP, Florida
The Phillies have plenty of young pitching talent in the form of Aaron Nola, Vincent Velasquez, Mark Appel and Jake Thompson, but that shouldn't stop them from stacking their rotation and selecting A.J. Puk with the top pick in this year's draft.
Although he went just 2-3 over the course of 15 starts, per D1Baseball.com, Puk posted a 3.21 ERA, 95 strikeouts and 31 walks during the Florida Gators' 2016 campaign thanks to a power-packed arsenal of pitches.
According to MLB.com's official scouting report, "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."
If the Phillies do make the 6'7'', 230-pound Puk their man at No. 1 overall, he'll become the eighth pitcher since 2000 to be selected with the draft's top pick. That would also give Philadelphia two of the draft's top picks since 2013 after the team acquired Appel in a deal last winter that centered on closer Ken Giles.
Kyle Lewis, OF, Mercer
The Braves need help across the board, and they'd be hard-pressed to find a better outfield option at No. 3 overall than Mercer University's Kyle Lewis.
The No. 3 prospect on MLB.com's 2016 rankings, Lewis shredded opponents throughout 2016 by posting a .395 batting average, .535 on-base percentage and .731 slugging percentage while racking up 72 RBI and 20 home runs over the course of 61 games.
The Braves could use a bat like that, since they have only three outfielders listed among their top 30 prospects entering the draft, according to MLB.com's prospect rankings.
"When you look at him, the bat speed is phenomenal," Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Gelb. "You could put him in any organization, and that bat speed plays immediately. It's just different."
It will take Lewis some time to adjust to more aggressive pitching after he played his college ball in the Southern Conference, but he seems to have the skill set to become a lethal hitter.
Delvin Perez, SS, International Baseball Academy
Delvin Perez may only be 17 years old, but he's already considered one of the game's brightest young prospects at shortstop.
"His defense is obviously there," a scout told MLB.com's Alyson Footer. "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."
The Cleveland Indians have Francisco Lindor holding down the fort at short on a team-controlled deal through 2021, but they need to bolster the caliber of players at the position in their pipeline. The Puerto Rican wunderkind offers superstar-caliber upside that the likes of Erik Gonzalez and Yu-Cheng Chang don't.
However, Perez carries a red flag teams drafting in the first round will need to consider. According to Jon Heyman on Today's Knuckleball, Perez failed a drug test during the predraft process, and his stock has started to slide ever since.
Risk will accompany Perez's selection wherever he winds up going in the draft, but there's no denying he has the foundation necessary to one day evolve into a franchise centerpiece.
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