Strasburg drafted No. 1, Blue Jays pick pitcher

The Washington Nationals chose as expected Tuesday night, using the first pick in Major League Baseball's amateur draft on highly touted San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg.

The Toronto Blue Jays grabbed right-hander Stephen Jenkins of Kennesaw State with the 20th pick.

"He's big, he's physical, he's got a big durable body," Jon Lalonde, Toronto's director of scouting, said in a conference call.

"We love the fact that he throws a ton of strikes, he sinks the ball, velocity is consistently 90-94 [miles per hour], works comfortably in that range, really locates the ball to both sides of the plate. He kind of embodies everything we look for in a pitcher."

Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi also selected the top Canadian in the draft, picking lefty James Paxton from Ladner, B.C., 37th overall with Toronto's second pick in the draft.

The 20-year-old was the No. 1 starter for the NCAA's Kentucky Wildcats this season. He was 5-3 and had a 5.86 earned-run average while striking out 115 batters and walking just 20 over 78.1 innings.

"I wasn't trying to put any expectations on myself," said Paxton, who was expected to go as high as 14th in the draft. 

"I was just trying to see how the day would fold out for us. We'll see how things develop from here. I didn't have a preference at all. I'm just glad to be given the opportunity to play professional baseball."

Toronto selected another Canadian, 18-year-old high school pitcher Jake Eliopoulos of Newmarket, Ont., with its third selection (68th overall). The Blue Jays picked right-hander Jake Barrett, a 17-year-old high-schooler from Arizona, with their fourth selection (99th overall), and another 17-year old, Jacob Marisnick of Riverside, Calif., with their fifth selection (104th overall).

Highly-touted prospect

Considered one of the most talented prospects in the event's 45-year history, the right-handed Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA this season to lead the Aztecs to their first post-season berth since 1991.

Scouts have raved about Strasburg's 100-m.p.h. fastball and pinpoint command. The 20-year-old struck out 195 batters with just 19 walks in 109 innings, and was the only amateur on the U.S. Olympic baseball team that won a bronze medal in Beijing.

"We are thrilled to select someone with the special talents that Stephen possesses," Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement.

"Those talents have long been on our radar, and Stephen's domination at San Diego State and vast experiences gained with Team USA last summer have done nothing to change our thoughts about his abilities."

The challenge now for the Nationals is to sign Strasburg to a contract. That could be difficult as super-agent Scott Boras is rumoured to be seeking a $50 million US, which would easily be a record for a draft pick.

The Seattle Mariners used the second pick on North Carolina outfielder Dustin Ackley, while high school outfielder Donavan Tate was picked third by the San Diego Padres.

Washington also had the 10th pick, and used it on another pitcher, taking Stanford righty Drew Storen.