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The Pittsburgh Pirates selected hard-throwing LSU right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the top pick in baseball’s amateur draft on Sunday night.

SEATTLE (AP) — LSU’s stars stole the spotlight at the College World Series. It carried over to the top of baseball’s amateur draft.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected hard-throwing LSU right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes with the top pick in the draft on Sunday night, with teammate Dylan Crews going No. 2 to the Washington Nationals.

It’s the first time in the draft’s history teammates went 1-2.

“It’s super humbling. I was in shock when I heard,” Skenes said. “A year ago, two years ago, I never thought it was a possibility to be the first overall pick. I don’t know what I was expecting going into today, but it means a lot.”

Skenes went 12-3 with 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings in helping lead the Tigers to the College World Series championship. The pick was announced by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., the top pick of the 1987 draft by the Seattle Mariners.

Skenes was the first college pitcher selected No. 1 overall since Casey Mize by Detroit in 2018.

“He had an incredibly special season at LSU. He obviously took another step forward this spring,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said. “It’s a really special combination of pitches and just as much about the mix and command than any one pitch.”

For the second time in three years, the Pirates held the top overall selection thanks to winning the first draft lottery and jumping Washington in the selection order. The Pirates picked catcher Henry Davis at the top in 2021; he made his major league debut last month for Pittsburgh.

Skenes’ signing bonus is expected to be near the slot value of about $9.7 million. Cherington said the hope is an agreement can come quickly and Skenes could pitch somewhere in the Pirates organization in 2023.

“It will have been a little while since he last pitched in the World Series and we want to be sure that whatever that schedule and progression looks (like) makes sense for him,” Cherington said.

It seemed to be a debate between Skenes and Crews for the top pick. It didn’t take long for Crews to come off the board after hitting .426 with 18 home runs while playing center field for the Tigers. Crews had a 26-game hitting streak as part of his standout season for the Tigers and finished his career at LSU by reaching base in each of his final 75 college games.

Crews said he’s never been to Washington, but saw plenty of the Nationals while growing up and watching Bryce Harper.

“Seeing him in a Nationals uniform, it was pretty awesome,” Crews said. “I’m going to play my game and hopefully have as much impact as him. … He’s just a complete player.”

Crews is the first college position player taken by Washington with its first pick since Anthony Rendon in 2011.

“A guy we’ve watched since he was in high school,” Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said. “He’s the type of guy that we want here in Washington. He’s a terrific person. He’s got great character. He’s very competitive and he’s a winner.”

Four LSU players total were selected on the first day, with right-handed pitchers Ty Floyd (No. 38 by Cincinnati) and Grant Taylor (No. 51 by the Chicago White Sox) also picked.

Detroit selected high school outfielder Max Clark from Franklin, Indiana, at No. 3. Clark was the Gatorade national player of the year after hitting .646 with six homers and 33 RBIs during his high school season.

But the first round was tilted to college players, with 17 of the 28 selections.

Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford went No. 4 to Texas, and high school outfielder Walker Jenkins, from Oak Island, North Carolina, went fifth to Minnesota.

Oakland took college shortstop Jacob Wilson, the son of former major league shortstop Jack Wilson, from Grand Canyon at No. 6.

Wake Forest right-hander Rhett Lowder went No. 7 to Cincinnati, Kansas City selected high school catcher Blake Mitchell, from Sinton, Texas, at No. 8, and Colorado picked Tennessee right-hander Chase Dollander.

The top 10 concluded with Miami selecting high sch

Team Canada unveiled its roster for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the squad heading into the event.

A lot of eyes will be on the Canadian women’s team at the 2023 FIFA World Cup to see whether or not it can build upon its Olympic success.

As the reigning Olympic champions, Canada will have a big target on its back at the tournament that will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20. Canada has won three consecutive Olympic medals, including gold in Tokyo in 2021, but it has yet to really break through at the World Cup – its best showing was a fourth place finish in 2003. Since then, the Canadians have failed to get out of the group stage on two occasions and won just a single knockout match.

Ranked No. 7 in the world, Canada will compete in a first-round group with Australia (No. 10), the Republic of Ireland (No. 22) and Nigeria (No. 66). Canada faces Nigeria on July 21 in Melbourne, Ireland on July 26 in Perth, and co-hosts Australia on July 31 in Melbourne.

Who are the 23 players that will try to guide Canada to World Cup glory this summer? Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of coach Bev Priestman’s squad that was officially unveiled on Sunday.

GOALKEEPERS  
Sabrina D’Angelo (Arsenal), Lysianne Proulx (SCU Torreense) and Kailen Sheridan (San Diego Wave FC).

Since Stephanie Labbé’s retirement last year, Kailen Sheridan has comfortably held down the starting goalkeeper’s job with Canada and goes into this World Cup as the undisputed No. 1. Sheridan was voted the NWSL goalkeeper of the year and named to the league’s Best XI in 2022, and she is having another solid season in San Diego in 2023. Sheridan has 35 caps and has played in all four matches for her country this year (three as a starter), and she’s generally considered among the best goalkeepers in the world.

Sabrina D’Angelo’s stock has risen since her move in January to Arsenal from Swedish club Vittsjö GIK, but not enough to displace Sheridan as Canada’s starter. D’Angelo has 13 caps, the last of which came vs. Japan in February. However, she only lasted 30 minutes after suffering a leg injury during an on-field collision with a Japanese player. She might get a chance to play in one of Canada’s group stage games, though. Barring an emergency, third stringer Lysianne Proulx (uncapped) won’t see any action at the World Cup.

DEFENDERS
Kadeisha Buchanan (Chelsea), Gabrielle Carle (Washington Spirit), Allysha Chapman (Houston Dash), Vanessa Gilles (Olympique Lyonnais ), Ashley Lawrence (Chelsea), Jayde Riviere (Manchester United) and Shelina Zadorsky (Tottenham Hotspur).

Having recently been sidelined with injuries, Vanessa Gilles is firmly back in the national team fold after first breaking out as a starter at the Tokyo Olympics. The Gilles-Kadeisha Buchanan centre back pairing has been the bedrock of Canada’s back line ever since the team won the gold medal in 2021. They perfectly complement each other with their technical skill, athleticism and reading of the game, and they’re a big reason why opponents struggle to break down Canada.

If coach Bev Priestman decides to play with three centre backs, look for Shelina Zadorsky to fill that spot. Zadorsky and Buchanan was Priestman’s go-to duo in central defence before Gilles displaced Zadorsky as a starter at the Tokyo Olympics.

Ashley Lawrence will slot in as the starting right fullback in the back four, unless Priestman opts to deploy her in midfield. Lawrence is one of Canada’s best and most important players, and a debate has raged amongst pundits for several years as to what is her best position. But given the team’s lack of fullback depth, that’s where her services will be needed the most at the World Cup. Also, given Priestman’s recent tendency to use a double pivot in the centre of the park, using Lawrence in midfield doesn’t seem likely. Veteran Allysha Chapman or speedy youngster Jayde Riviere will serve as the counterbalance to Lawrence on the left side of the defence.

Earlier this week, Canada Soccer announced that Jade Rose would miss the World Cup due to an undisclosed injury. It’s a bit of a blow for the Canadian team. Rose, a 20-year-old who hasn’t yet turned pro, carries herself with a confiden

One of the best stories in the 2023 Draft, Nimmala became the highest-selected first-generation Indian American and is looking to become the first player of Indian descent to play Major League Baseball.

The Toronto Blue Jays selected 17-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala with the 20th overall pick in the first round of Sunday’s MLB Draft.

One of the best stories in the 2023 Draft, Nimmala became the highest-selected first-generation Indian American and is looking to become the first player of Indian descent to play Major League Baseball.

Nimmala was one of the highest-touted high school hitters in the draft, coming off a 2022-23 season in which he won the Gatorade Florida Baseball Player of the Year while playing at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Fla. He was also an Under Armour All-American and first-team All-Conference selection.

In one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, the Blue Jays were able to add MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 prospect with the 20th pick.

Here’s what you need to know about Toronto’s latest first-round pick. 

Age: 17
School: Strawberry Crest HS (FL)
Position: Shortstop
Commitment: Florida State
Height: Six-foot-one | Weight: 170 lbs
Scouting grades (Per MLB Pipeline): Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
2023 Stats: AVG: .479 | 6 HR| 29 RBI | 30 Runs | .573 OBP | .904 SLG | 9 SB

Indian Heritage

Nimmala is very proud of his Indian Heritage and grew up playing cricket both at home in Florida and on trips back to visit family and friends in India.

At the MLB Draft Combine, the newest Blue Jay spoke about what it means to him to represent his family’s history.

“That means a lot. There’s not many Indian American players in the big leagues,” he said. “For Indians, it’s mostly cricket, and the transition to baseball has been a lot.

“Hopefully, one day, I can inspire young Indian Americans to play and get more Indians into the sport.”

Nimmala told MLB.com that his father pushed toward baseball in search of a sport similar to cricket. Ever since, the 2005-born infielder has risen up the ranks — ending as the top-ranked high school infielder in 2023. 

Scouting Reports

Nimmala has impressive raw power — more than his six-foot-one, 170-pound would suggest possible. 

At such a young age, there is, undoubtedly, room for him to grow and get bigger and stronger as he joins the pro-ball ranks.

He was a consensus top-20 prospect in th