MESA, Ariz. – The changes A.J. Puk has been going through in the last her haven’t been lost on the A’s.
When Oakland made the 6-foot-7 left-hander the sixth pick in the draft last June, he was completing a three-year career at Florida in which he was primarily known as a fastball pitcher. And why not? He can throw 99 mph when so inclined.
The pitcher the A’s saw Tuesday in a win over the Indians topped out at 96, not bad for the first game of the spring season. But he also threw a full complement of auxiliary pitches, including a slider, changeup and curve.