SECAUCUS, N.J. — Drafting pitcher Stephen Strasburg was the easy part for the Washington Nationals. Signing him could be much more difficult.
Strasburg was selected by the woeful Nationals with the first pick in baseball’s amateur draft Tuesday night, a move that was long expected.
Considered one of the most talented prospects in the event’s 45-year history, the right-hander features a blazing fastball that’s been clocked at 102 mph — and some nasty breaking stuff too. He went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA this season for San Diego State, leading the Aztecs to their first postseason berth since 1991.
“He’s a tremendous pitching package,” Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo said. “We weren’t going to pass on the best player in the draft.”
But signing him might be a major challenge, because agent Scott Boras is sure to seek a record contract — perhaps worth approximately $50 million.
Teams have until Aug. 15 to sign draft choices, otherwise they lose their rights.
“We don’t negotiate through the media, so I’m not going to begin now,” Rizzo said.
Strasburg leads Division I pitchers with 195 strikeouts in 109 innings this year, and was the only amateur on the U.S. Olympic team that won a bronze medal in Beijing last summer.
With the second pick, the Seattle Mariners chose North Carolina slugger Dustin Ackley, who has batted at least .400 for three straight seasons.
The San Diego Padres were the first team to go for a high school player, tabbing outfielder Donavan Tate at No. 3 from Cartersville High in Georgia. A gifted athlete, Tate also was a star prep football player.
Pittsburgh went for Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez, and Baltimore chose high school right-hander Matthew Hobgood out of California.
