Royals’ Puckett among top 2016 Draft picks off to fast starts

It’s a pretty simple system, really. Players were drafted over the course of 40 rounds from June 9-11. Then all 30 teams had until July 15 to sign those drafted players. Many signed well in advance of that date, and even those who waited until the last minute have been able to get nearly a month of professional experience under their belts.

Generally speaking, teams don’t worry about results from draftees in their first summer of pro ball. It’s more about allowing players to get a taste of what pro ball is all about and organizations getting a first sense of what a player looks like on that stage, and perhaps what they might need to work on.

Getting out and playing that first summer after being drafted is far from unimportant, however. Alex Bregman, the 2015 No. 2 overall pick, signed quickly enough with the Astros to rack up 272 at-bats a summer ago. Andrew Benintendi, taken No. 7 by the Red Sox, picked up 198 ABs during his pro debut. Both are currently in the big leagues, and there’s no question the foundation of the summer helped give them a boost to a fast track.

Getting off to a good start is never a bad thing, of course, giving a new pro confidence heading into his first offseason. Many of this year’s Draft class hit the ground running, both at the plate and on the mound. Knowing it’s still a small sample size, here’s a look at five hitters and five pitchers from the early rounds who have made strong transitions to Minor League Baseball, with their Draft position in parentheses.

HITTERS

Mickey Moniak, OF, Phillies (No. 1) No. 30 on Top 100; No. 2 on Phillies’ Top 30

The top pick in the Draft has done in the Gulf Coast League what he did pretty consistently all spring and dating back to last year’s summer showcase circuit: hit. A recent 0-for-10 stretch has Moniak down to .299, but he’s been over .300 most of his debut, firmly among GCL leaders. He does have five doubles, three triples, a home run and seven steals to date.

Nick Senzel, 3B, Reds (No. 2) No. 52 on Top 100; No. 1 on Reds’ Top 30

Senzel’s overall line of .277/.389/.478 is solid enough, but it really starts to look more impressive when looking at what he’s done since he was moved up to full-season ball. The Tennessee standout has hit …

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