As I wrote in part one of my MLB Draft Analysis, the Toronto Blue Jays selected the following players. Chad Jenkins of Kennesaw State with pick number twenty and Canadian born James Paxton of the University of Kentucky with pick number thirty seven.

With pick number sixty eight the Toronto Blue Jays selected Canadian Jake Eliopoulos, a left handed pitcher from Sacred Heart High School in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

Jake Eliopoulos joins James Paxton as a possible new trend for the Jays. Drafting Canadian talent.

Eliopoulos is a wiry, slim LHP with great projection.

His fastball is currently in the high 80s, but should make a jump as he matures physically.

He already shows a good feel for his changeup, and his curveball also shows promise.

He is an intriguing prospect with a three pitch mix.

Eliopoulos was a member of the Brantford Red Sox and the Baseball Canada junior program.

Eliopouolos is a former student at Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

Eliopoulos was the top pitching prospect from Canada’s 2009 graduating class, and was considered the top Canadian high school prospect overall this year.

How about that?

The Toronto Blue Jays drafting back to back Canadian pitchers. This is a good sign, and I agree yet again with this move. Why shouldn’t the Blue Jays draft Canadian players? It only makes sense to showcase Canadian talent on Canada’s only baseball team.

Is Paul Beeston the reason the Jays are drafting Canadian grown talent?

Moves like these are no brainers, yet they haven’t been made. It looks as if having Paul Beeston back in charge, perched on the top rung of the ladder, has forced general manager and Toronto Blue Jays fans most hated employee J.P Ricciardi to step up and do something that may excite Toronto baseball fans again.

To all my readers who are not local Torontonians, or who are not frequent visitors to Toronto, baseball has actually become Toronto’s third sport over the last 15 years.

Toronto is and always will be “hockey town” with our beloved Maple Leafs ruling the Toronto sports world. Sure, they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, but they sell out every game, and have the hardest ticket to find in town. Baseball was always destined to be number two in Toronto, which is until the Toronto Raptors became one of two Canadian basketball teams in existence (the other being the Vancouver Grizzlies who no longer exist). The Toronto Raptors franchise has overtaken baseball as the number two sporting team in our fair town. I blame it on the Raptors success (not counting this season which was a mess) behind the star power of “Mr. Marketable” Chris Bosh, combined with boring Toronto Blue Jays teams that were finishing third with an almost identical record every year.

Yes, Toronto can blame the budget of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for overtaking them every year, but than again look at the Tampa Bay Rays, who last year, based solely on homegrown talent, won the American League East, and went on to represent the entire American League in the World Series. This year Toronto has shown much more promise than in years past with a fine mix of young players and seasoned veterans, teamed up with a dynamite coaching staff led by Cito Gaston.

Imagine the Toronto Blue Jays adding to our current roster and winning the AL East with homegrown talent born and raised here in Canada! I know if I heard about that I would be attending more games (if I wasn’t already at every game).

I truly believe with the drafting of James Paxton and Jake Eliopoulos the Toronto Blue Jays are on the right track, even if it doesn’t work out with these particular players. I personally would recommend the continuation of a Blue Jays draft system similar to this year, in hopes of a better team, and improved attendance down the road.

Below are the full 2009 results of the Toronto Blue Jays 2009 MLB Draft.

A friend of mine’s younger brother Jeffrey Gibbs was drafted in round 48, 1450th overall out of Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute by the Toronto Blue Jays, which I thought was a neat little piece of information to share with my readers.

Round 1: Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State
Round 1a: (Comp for AJ Burnett from NY Yanks): James Paxton, LHP, Kentucky
Round 2: Jake Eliopoulos, LHP, Sacred Heart High School
Round 3: Jake Barrett, RHP, Desert Ridge HS (Az)
Round 3 (Comp for AJ Burnett from NY Yanks): Jacob Marisnick, CF, Riverside Poly HS (Cal.)
Round 4: Ryan Goins, SS, Dallas Baptist U
Round 5: Ryan Schimpf, 2B, Louisiana St U
Round 6: Kristopher Hobson, RF, Stockdale HS (CA)
Round 7: Egan Smith, LHP, Col of Southern Nevada
Round 8: Brian Slover, RHP, Cal St Northridge
Round 9: Aaron Loup, LHP, Tulane U
Round 10: Yan Gomes, C, Barry U
Round 11: Sean Ochinko, C, Louisiana St U
Round 12: Bryson Namba, 3B, Pearl City HS (HI)
Round 13: Matthew Morgal, RHP, Southern Nazarene U
Round 14: Lance Durham, 1B, U Cincinnati
Round 15: Andrew Hutchison, RHP, Lakeland Senior HS (FL)
Round 16: David Sever, RHP, St Louis U
Round 17: Steven Turnbull, RHP, U Iowa
Round 18: Robert Webb, RHP, Northwest Florida St Col
Round 19: Dennis Tepera, RHP, Sam Houston St U
Round 20: Kevin Nolan, SS, Winthrop U
Round 21: Kurt Giller, RHP, Manhattan HS (KS)
Round 22: Matt Fields, RHP, Gonzaga U
Round 23: Brad Glenn, OF, U Arizona
Round 24: Matt Nuzzo, SS, Brown U
Round 25: Samuel Strickland, LHP, Texas A&M U Kingsville
Round 26: Lance Loftin, RHP, Texas St U
Round 27: Brian Justice, RHP, St Marys Col
Round 28: Zachary Outman, RHP, St Louis U
Round 29: Zach Anderson, RHP, U Buffalo
Round 30: Timothy McDonald, OF, Edison HS (CA)
Round 31: John Murphy, C, Princeton U
Round 32: Ryan Shopshire, RHP, San Jose St U
Round 33: Robert Benincasa, RHP, Armwood HS (FL)
Round 34: Jonathan Fernandez, SS, Guilford Tech CC
Round 35: Evan Teague, LHP, Western Kentucky U
Round 36: Alex Pepe, LHP, Florida Atlantic U
Round 37: Shawn Griffith, RHP, George Mason U
Round 38: Yudelmis Hernandez, 1B, Barry U
Round 39: Joshua Lucas, RHP, Lakeland Senior HS (FL)
Round 40: Jonathan Gilbert, OF, Ahuntsic Col
Round 41: Zachary Kirksey, LF, Louisiana St U at Eunice
Round 42: Michael Reeves, C, St Peters SS
Round 43: Maxx Tissenbaum, SS, York Mills Collegiate Institute
Round 44: Nick Wagner, OF, Santa Margarita HS (CA)
Round 45: Brandon Kaye, RHP, Douglas Col
Round 46: Carlos Castro, 3B, Lon Morris Col
Round 47: John Rigg, OF, St Petersburg JC
Round 48: Jeffrey Gibbs, RHP, Birchmount Park Collegiate Inst
Round 49: Thomas Collier, RHP, San Jacinto Col North
Round 50: Burke Seifrit, RHP, Semiahmoo HS