Blue Jays select Strawberry Crest shortstop in MLB draft

DOVER, Fla. - Arjun Nimmala sat side by side with his friends and family, waiting Sunday night.

"I was just waiting to hear my name called," Arjun said.

In a crowded sports bar, Nimmala and his teammates from the Strawberry Crest High School baseball team watched on as the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft unfolded.

"It was really nerve-racking for everyone," Nimmala said.

"We didn't know what was going to happen," he said.

But finally, after 19 picks had come and gone in the draft, Arjun heard commissioner Rob Manfred call his name.

"With the 20th pick, I heard my name and all the nerves went away, and it was like a sigh of relief that now I get to play pro baseball," Arjun said.

Now, thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays, Arjun's journey to the big leagues can officially begin. 

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"I'm happy to go right to the Blue Jays and couldn't be happier to start a pro career with them," the shortstop said.

It's a journey that started long ago in Arjun's backyard with a ball and a bat, just not the kind he is used to swinging now.

"We were playing cricket in the backyard," remembers Arjun's father, Balu.

Growing up in India, Arjun's parents were involved in athletics and wanted to pass that passion on to their sons.

From a young age, Arjun's dad passed along his love of cricket to his sons in their backyard.

"The interest started there," Arjun's dad said.

"So they were able to hit the ball, and when you hit the ball, the interest is automatically generated."

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It wasn't long, however, until Arjun and his brother traded in their dad's old cricket bat for a mitt and a baseball bat.

"Because that's more common in America with a bat and ball. It's kind of similar to cricket, and that's really where it took off," Arjun said.

Since then, Arjun Nimmala has never looked back.

"You never know. What if I was playing cricket?" Nimmala joked. 

"I could have gone the same route cricket-wise, so it is a pretty cool experience to think about."

More importantly, Arjun is excited to represent his family and his parents in the big leagues one day.

"That means a lot to me," the shortstop said

"They sacrificed a lot. First off, they left their family in India and came over here to America to give their kids better opportunities, and I couldn't ask for anything more than that."

So, what may have started with a bat and a ball in his backyard years ago will hopefully turn into a long career with a bat and ball in a big-league ballpark.