With the eighth overall selection in the 2009 on Tuesday, Cincinnati selected right-handed starting pitcher Mike Leake from Arizona State University.

"We're thrilled to have him," Reds senior director of scouting Chris Buckley said at Great American Ball Park moments after picking Leake. "He's a very polished college pitcher with four pitches. The numbers are just off the charts. He's a very good baseball player. He's one of their better position players. This guy hit the ground running in college."

Leake, a 21-year-old junior that also played the outfield, is 16-1 with a 1.36 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) for the Sun Devils this season. In 132 2/3 innings, he had 21 walks and 150 strikeouts.

Arizona State is currently participating in the College World Series.

Of the first 12 overall picks in this year's Draft, nine were pitchers.

Considered a ground-ball pitcher that stands at six feet tall and 180 pounds, Leake uses a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. According to Buckley, his fastball runs 88-93 mph and can touch 94 mph.

"It's his command and how polished he is," Buckley said. "He throws four pitches for strikes. He can throw them at any time. He's an outstanding fielder. He has an outstanding pickoff move. He has all the intangibles that good pitchers have."

Leake, a 2006 seventh-round pick of the A's who chose to play college ball instead, is one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation's premier amateur baseball player. He is the first pitcher the Reds have taken with their first-round pick since Homer Bailey in 2004.

Because Arizona State is still competing in postseason play with Leake, the Reds will not be able to open contract negotiations until his season is finished. There is an Aug. 17 deadline for clubs to sign drafted players, and anyone not signed can be selected in the 2010 Draft.

Last year with the seventh overall pick, the Reds took first baseman Yonder Alonso from the University of Miami. Alonso, signed to a five-year, $4.55 million Major League contract, is currently with Double-A Carolina.

As for where Leake might start in the Reds' system, Buckley was non-committal. The pitcher's innings count indicates that he won't get a lot of work professionally this summer if he does sign in time.

"This is a guy that's 16-1, so he's pitched a fair amount of baseball this year," Buckley said. "You don't want to rush him or put him in a situation where he could get hurt."