Royals select P A.J. Puckett with top draft pick

The Kansas City Royals used their top draft pick, a second-rounder and the 67th overall, to select pitcher A.J. Puckett, a right-hander from Pepperdine.

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 45 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched for the Waves, the third-longest streak in modern college baseball history.