SECAUCUS, N.J. — Drafting pitcher Stephen Strasburg was the easy part for the Washington Nationals. Signing him could be much more difficult.

Strasburg, a junior at San Diego State, was selected by the woeful Nationals with the first pick in baseball's amateur draft last night, a move that was long expected.

Considered one of the most talented prospects in the event's 45-year history, the right-hander features a blazing fastball that's been clocked at 102 mph — and some nasty breaking stuff, too. He went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA this season.

"He's a tremendous pitching package," Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We weren't going to pass on the best player in the draft."

But signing him might be a major challenge, because agent Scott Boras is sure to seek a record contract that easily exceeds the $10.5 million Mark Prior received after he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2001.

Strasburg was undrafted out of high school.

Teams have until Aug. 15 to sign draft choices, otherwise they lose their rights.

No players with Hawai'i ties were selected yesterday, when the first three rounds were completed.

With the second pick, Seattle chose North Carolina slugger Dustin Ackley.

San Diego drafted Georgia prep outfielder Donavan Tate at No. 3, Pittsburgh went for Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez at No. 4, and Baltimore chose high school right-hander Matt Hobgood out of California at No. 5.