Jays select Tom Robson top Canadian prospect

The Jays continued a clear and daring trend in 2011 towards high school pitching, but this time with a north of the fourty-ninth parallel difference. Finally, in the fourth round of the current June process, selecting one-hundred thirty ninth overall, the Jays stayed home choosing the top-ranked Canadian prospect, righthander Tom Robson, from Ladner, B.C.

“I was pretty excited when I heard my name called,” Robson told Baseball Canada. “The Jays are my favourite team so I was really hoping they would draft me.”

The Jays among their first 10 picks, through five rounds, have chosen eight pitchers, seven of them out of high school. The draft goes 50 rounds, through Wednesday. Robson, who turns 18 on June 27, was a key member of Canada's Junior National Team that played the Blue Jays at spring training. He had signed a letter of intent to play at a Junior College in Arizona, but is expected to sign in his home country, no discount.

Robson was ranked 106th overall by the renowned draft guru Allan Simpson, who founded the respected Baseball America and is being inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall-of-Fame later this month.

Robson was a key member of Canada's Junior team, facing Cuba twice at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Thunder Bay, ON.

"Tom has been an important part of our Junior National team program for the past two seasons," Head Coach and Director of Canada's National Team Programs, Greg Hamilton said. "This is a very proud moment for our JNT program, but more importantly, a proud moment for Tom and his family."