Royals take pitcher with first draft pick

NEW YORK, June 6 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Royals on Tuesday made right-handed pitcher Luke Hochevar the first choice of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.

Hochevar, who was the 40th pick in last year's draft but didn't reach terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers, played college baseball at Tennessee and was 15-3 with a 2.26 ERA in 19 starts in 2005.

The Colorado Rockies, drafting second, selected right-handed pitcher Gregory Reynolds, who played at Stanford.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays chose third baseman Evan Longoria with the third pick. Longoria is from Long Beach State and can play numerous infield positions while hitting for average and power.

Houston right-hander Brad Lincoln was taken with the fourth pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lincoln was an All-Star pitcher at the Cap Cod League last summer and has been clocked in the high-90-mph range with his fastball.

Rounding out the top five was pitcher Brandon Morrow, picked by Seattle. Morrow complements his fastball with a wicked split-fingered fastball that could make him a potentially dominant closer.