In MLB draft, Cardinals select Puerto Rican shortstop, suspected PED user

The St. Louis Cardinals were among the busiest teams at Thursday night’s opening round of the Major League Baseball draft, owning their own selection, at #23, along with two other first-round choices, given as compensation for losing free agents John Lackey and Jason Heyward this offseason.

With their first selection, the Cardinals and Director of Scouting Randy Flores made the most controversial pick of the night, choosing 17-year old Puerto Rican shortstop Delvin Perez, a teenager seen as a top-five talent, but also a player who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.  The Cardinals are hoping that the reward outweighs the risk in the pick of Perez, a product of the International Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico.

With their second pick of the first round, #33 overall, St. Louis chose 17-year old switch-hitting outfielder Dylan Carlson of Elk Grove, California.  With pick #34, the Cardinals chose hard-throwing right-hander Dakota Hudson, a junior from Mississippi State University.

The Cardinals selected University of Virginia right-hander Connor Jones with the 70th overall selection of the draft.

Mickey Moniak, a high school outfielder from California, was selected first overall by the Phillies in the Major League Baseball draft Thursday night.

Moniak, from La Costa Canyon High School in south Carlsbad, became the first prep outfielder chosen No. 1 since Tampa Bay drafted Delmon Young in 2003. The selection, announced by Commissioner Rob Manfred at MLB Network studios, marked the first time the Phillies led off the draft since they took Miami slugger Pat Burrell in 1998.

The Kansas City Royals have selected A.J. Puckett, a right-handed pitcher from Pepperdine University, with their top selection in the First-Year Player Draft, 67^th overall in the second round.

Puckett, 21, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder, went 9-3 with a 1.27 ERA as a junior, posting the third-best ERA in West Coast Conference history. His season included a 45.2 consecutive scoreless innings streak for the Waves, the third-longest streak in modern college baseball history.