Deglan, Anthopolous leave northern footprint on draft

Baseball Betting Lines

06/14/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball teams continue to look for help north of the border, and that's just fine with players like Kellin Deglan.

The Langley, British Columbia native was the first Canadian off the board in the 2010 MLB draft when the Texas Rangers selected the six-foot-two, 200-pound catcher with the 22nd overall pick.

Deglan was the second catcher chosen behind Yasmani Grandal, who went 12th to the St. Louis Cardinals, after the Washington Nationals declared first overall pick Bryce Harper would become a full-time outfielder.

A product of the Langley Blaze of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League, Deglan immediately came to terms with Texas on a signing bonus for an estimated $1 million.

Entering the Rangers farm system straight from high school apparently did not deter Texas from signing the 18-year-old. Deglan has competed against equivalent talent to that of the minor leagues and has plenty of international experience, as he is also a member of the Canadian Junior National team.

Based on where they selected him, it is clear the Rangers organization envisions Deglan as a player that can blossom into a quality major league backstop. And for Texas it's a reasonable gamble, given its recent trouble in molding young catchers into everyday starters in the big leagues, such as Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden.

With the selection, Deglan became the second-highest Canadian-born position player to be drafted by a major league team. Brett Lawrie was selected 16th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2008 draft and is currently manning second base for the Huntsville Stars, the Brewers double-A affiliate. Like Deglan, Lawrie also hails from Langley, BC.

CANADIAN ROUNDUP

James Paxton, the top Canadian selected in the 2009 MLB draft, went in the fourth round, 132nd overall to the Seattle Mariners. The Toronto Blue Jays chose the lefty with the 37th overall pick last year, but the two parties were unable to come terms on a contract. Paxton's stock may have fallen, but he is still regarded as a top prospect.

A similar tale to Paxton's unfolded for LHP Jake Eliopoulos when his name got called on draft day. A year ago, Eliopoulos was selected with the 68th overall pick by the Blue Jays; however, he was also unable to reach terms on a deal. His stock plummeted this year, falling all the way to the 15th round, before being scooped up by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 472nd overall pick.

The other Canadian players who heard their name called in the first 20 rounds of the 2010 first-year player draft were INF Chris Bisson, fourth round to the San Diego Padres; RHP Joel Pierce, seventh round to the Brewers; LHP Evan Grills, 10th round to the Houston Astros; LHP Evan Rutckyj, 16th round to the New York Yankees and Rowan Wick, who was taken in the 18th round by the Brewers.

In total, there were 31 Canadians selected, plus the No. 2 overall pick Jameson Taillon, who is American-born but has dual-citizenship, as both his parents are from Ontario.

ANTHOPOLOUS' FIRST CRACK AT THE DRAFT

The Toronto Blue Jays and first-year general manager Alex Anthopolous certainly set a premium on pitching, as they selected four arms within the first 43 picks in the draft. Starting with the 11th overall pick, the Blue Jays took Deck McGuire, a six-foot-six righthander from Georgia Tech who projects to be as sure a thing as there is from this year's class at making the big leagues. The 20-year-old had a 9-4 record to go along with a 2.96 ERA over 16 starts in the NCAA for Georgia Tech.

The Jays followed that up by selecting three more pitchers in the supplementary first round as compensation picks. Toronto gained the compensation picks by failing to sign Paxton last year and for losing players Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas to free agency. They in turn selected righthanders Aaron Sanchez, Noah Syndergaard and Asher Wojciechowski with the 34th, 38th and 41st picks respectively to round out the first day of the draft.

In combining talent and sentimental value, no selection in the draft may have been bigger for the Jays than the 113th pick they used on Marcus Knecht. The homegrown product from North York, ON, put up impressive numbers this past year while playing for Connors State College. Knecht batted .472, with 16 home runs and 57 RBI during his first year with the junior college after transferring from Oklahoma State.

The outfielder was the first of seven Canadian players chosen by the Blue Jays, the most of any other club, and the third position player behind third baseman Kellen Sweeney (69th overall and brother of current big leaguer Ryan Sweeney of Oakland) and high school shortstop Christopher Hawkins, who Toronto grabbed with the 93rd pick.

Knecht was previously drafted in '08 by the Brewers in the 23rd round. Rounding out the rest of the Canadian players selected by the Blue Jays: OF Dalton Pompey (16th round), LHP Jay Johnson (26th), OF Philip Diedrick (45th), RHP Connor Smith (46th), C Nick Studer (48th) and C Kelly Norris-Jones who was selected in the 50th and final round.