Blue Jays take college pitcher Yesavage in 1st round of MLB draft

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FORT WORTH, Texas — Right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday night with their first pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft.

The 6-foot-4 Yesavage, who plays with the East Carolina University Pirates and was named the American Athletic Conference’s pitcher of the year, was grabbed 20th overall by the Jays.

Yesavage’s fastball has been clocked at 95 m.p.h. and peaks at 98, plus he has a low-80s spike curveball and a splitter with similar velocity.

He is described as being more physical than athletic at 225 pounds. He will turn 21 later this month.

Guardians grab Aussie with top pick

Australian second baseman Travis Bazzana was taken by the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday night with the top pick.

A former cricket, rugby and soccer player who moved to the United States to play baseball for Oregon State, the 21-year-old hit .407 with 28 homers and 66 RBIs this season.

Baseball’s top pick this year had a slot value of $10,570,600 under the bonus pools system that began in 2012.

Cleveland, the top team in the AL, had the top pick for the first time since the draft began in 1965, winning a weighted lottery in December despite having a 2% chance. The lottery began last year as part of a collective bargaining agreement provision to discourage struggling teams from deliberately trying for a top draft pick by getting rid of veterans.

Teams were to make the first 74 picks Sunday at the Cowtown Coliseum with the remainder of the 20 rounds on Monday and Tuesday.

Commissioner Rob Manfred was booed by the roughly 2,000 fans on hand when he emerged on stage through the set’s saloon doors.

— With files from The Associated Press

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