Strasburg top pick

The Washington Nationals have selected pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the first pick in baseball's amateur draft.

Considered one of the most talented prospects in the event's 45-year history, Strasburg went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA this season for San Diego State, leading the Aztecs to their first postseason berth since 1991.

Featuring a fastball that has been clocked at 102 mph, Strasburg led Division I pitchers with 195 strikeouts in 109 innings. He was the only amateur on the U.S. Olympic baseball team that won a bronze medal last summer.

Signing the right-hander could be a challenge for the Nationals, however, because agent Scott Boras is sure to seek a record contract.

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[8/18/09] WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals knew they needed to sign No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg, and they did.

They needed him because of his pitching talent, his 100 mph fastballs and knee-buckling breaking balls. They needed him to ramp up the remaking of a last-place team on pace for a second consecutive 100-loss season. And they needed him to create a good vibe around a team that's suffered sagging attendance at a new stadium and all manner of bad publicity.

The easy part was drafting Strasburg in June. The hard part was getting him to agree to a contract by the deadline of midnight as Monday turned to Tuesday.

Washington got it done, agreeing with Strasburg on a record-breaking contract worth $15.1 million over four years. The struggling team and the hard-throwing right-hander resolved everything at "11:58 and 43 seconds," Nationals president Stan Kasten said.

"People thought it would take to the last minute," Kasten said, smiling. "We didn't even need that last minute."