OTTAWA – Two Canadians were selected in day one of the MLB First Year Player Draft and they will be sticking close to home as both players were selected by Canada’s team.
The Toronto Blue Jays picked James Paxton (Ladner, BC) with the 37th pick overall (Compensation Round) and Jake Eliopoulos (Newmarket, ON) with their second round pick (68th overall).
Paxton had one of his best seasons in college baseball in 2009, going 5-2 with a 5.30 ERA in 12 starts. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was incredible this past season as he struck out 109 batters to only 20 walks over 73 innings.
Eliopoulos is a member of the Junior National Team and has seen his stock grow over the last year. He was ranked as the highest Canadian high schooler by Perfect Game’s top combined list (high school and college – 89th overall). During the JNT’s Spring Training Camp, Eliopoulos threw five innings and allowed one run on three hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts.
The Draft will continue with the rounds 4-30 at noon on Wednesday, June 10. Rounds 31-50 will be on Thursday, June 11, starting at 8:30 a.m. PT. You can follow the Draft on MLB.com.
