The current 25-man roster consists of players from South Korea, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Japan, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada and the United States. There also are players from Italy, Bolivia, Colombia, Nicaragua, Taiwan, El Salvador, Holland, Australia, Mexico, Panama and South Africa in the Minor League system.

A French-speaking right-hander from Quebec -- 18-year-old Phillipe Aumont -- was added to the list of potential big-league pitchers on Thursday when he was selected by the Mariners in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft.

"As you could tell by what happened in there [in the war room], we're pretty excited," scouting director Bob Fontaine said after Aumont, from Gatineau, Quebec (Ecole Du Versant), was taken with the 11th overall pick. "We went in thinking we had a shot at three pitchers, and this is one of them.

"We thought he was the one we wouldn't get, but as it got closer, we all started looking around at each other thinking we might have a chance."

Though it took five minutes of TV time, the Mariners had Aumont pegged as their man the moment the Giants selected left-hander Madison Bumgarner with the 10th pick. Unlike last year, when the Mariners selected pitchers with their first five selections, and eight of their first nine, there was a more diversified approach this season. Seattle drafted two pitchers, three outfielders and one infielder during the first day.

The Mariners removed Oklahoma State third baseman Matt Mangini from the availability board during the supplemental round as compensation for losing free agent starting pitcher Gil Meche to the Royals. The Mariners then selected two high school center fielders -- Denny Almonte from Florida Christian School in the second round and Daniel Carroll in the third -- and then selected right-handed pitcher Nolan Gallagher from Stanford University in the fourth round and outfielder Joe Dunigan from the University of Oklahoma in the fifth.

Mangini was one of four Oklahoma State players to start in all 60 games this season and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. This season he was second on the team in doubles (16), while finishing fourth on the team in batting average (.343), home runs (9) and RBIs (49).

But Aumont was the big prize of the day for the Mariners.

He starred for the Canadian Junior National Team and was voted by Perfect Game as the Canada East Player of the Year. He was rated by Baseball America as one of the top right-handed pitchers heading into the 2007 Draft, including the No. 9 high school prospect and the top Canadian prospect.

Top Seattle Draft Picks

Pick	Name	School	POS
11	Aumont, Phillippe	Ecole Du Versant	RHP
52	Mangini, Matthew	Oklahoma St U	3B
75	Almonte, Denny	Florida Christian School	CF
105	Carroll, Daniel	Valley View HS	CF
135	Gallagher, Nolan	Stanford U	RHP
165	Dunigan, Joseph	U Oklahoma	CF

Complete Seattle Draft list >

So it stood to reason that he would go early during the first day of the Draft, though Aumont said he didn't expect to be drafted by the Mariners.

"I was pretty surprised and excited at the same time," Aumont said during a conference call with Seattle-area media. "They hadn't been around me during the draft process the past two months. Most of the [MLB scouts] were at every game and they talk to you after each game. They call you at home and you have home visits, and you go somewhere in the city for a visit. I didn't go to Seattle. I went one time with a scout from British Columbia. I talked to him one time, and that was probably it."

The Mariners took a quiet path to their top Draft choice.

Aumont's draft stock began to soar last summer, when he participated in several showcase events for Canada's Junior National Team. One of them was the World Junior Championships, where he pitched six scoreless innings against Cuba.

"I saw him three times," said David May, the Mariners' Northeast coordinator. "The first time I saw him was at the Wilmington (Del.) showcase last summer. I saw 92-93 [mph] velocity with the makings of a slider. I saw him twice this past spring and his velocity was up to 96 with heavy sink, and his slider was better.

"To me, he has one of the highest ceilings in the Draft. I think this guy has a chance to be very special. I really love this guy."

At 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, Aumont already has a frame that exudes power, and he should get even stronger.

"Phillippe is a power pitcher and we are confident he will be able to contribute to the success of our organization very quickly," Fontaine said. "He has a live arm. Everything is easy. He's strong, challenges hitters, competes and wants to win. We're very happy.

"When you look at this kid and see how big and strong he is and how big and strong he will continue to get, you can't help but get excited. And coming from Canada, he has not pitched as much as a lot of kids from the United States, obviously, but the competition he has faced has been as good as anyone in the States."

The competition Aumont faced during international events included games against professional players from other countries. The fact he pitched so many games against top quality players makes the Mariners believe that he is more advanced than players about the same age.

"He has played against a higher caliber of talent," Fontaine said.

The next step is to get Aumont under contract, and the Mariners have until Aug. 15 to work out a deal with him.

"I [don't] see a problem signing right now," Aumont said. "It's a big deal for me to play pro ball. I've been working so hard to play pro ball right away, and I think I'm ready for it. College is a second option for me. I can always go [to college] during the offseason, or something like that."

Exactly where he would start his career has not been determined.

"We haven't really talked about that, but hopefully we'll get him out soon and the sooner we get him out, the higher he will go," Fontaine said.

Aumont becomes the highest Canadian to be selected in the first round of the Draft since left-hander Adam Loewen was selected fourth overall by Baltimore and left-hander Jeff Francis was selected ninth overall by Colorado in 2002. Aumont is also the first native of Quebec to be selected in the first round since outfielder Ntema Ndungidi was selected as a supplemental first-round pick by the Orioles in 1997.

Aumont never has been to Seattle, but he knows something about the organization.

"When I was young, I was always [watching] Randy Johnson," he said of the former Mariners' star pitcher. "That was my big, big boy. When he was on the mound, I would turn on the TV and watch him pitch. Every time."

The Mariners hope that kids will some day say the same thing about Aumont.

Meanwhile, Fontaine said he was pleased with Thursday's selections.

"We like big, strong pitchers, and we got the power pitcher we wanted in Aumont, and we took a couple of college kids that have very good power," Fontaine said. "We also drafted a couple of young high school outfielders."

Round 1: Phillippe Aumont, Ecole Du Versant (Quebec)
Rated as Canada's top prospect by Baseball America, Aumont was the highest Canadian to be selected in the draft. The 18-year-old pitched for the Canadian Junior National Team, and his fastball has been recorded as high as 96 mph. He also uses a slider and changeup.

Supplemental Round: 3B Matt Mangini, Oklahoma State
Magini, who was projected by many as a first-round pick, has both a strong arm and solid bat. His power is reported as average at best, but he did win the Cape Cod batting title last summer with a .310 average. He tends to struggle defensively with bunts.

Round 2: CF Denny Almonte, Florida Christian School
Almonte hit .418 (28-for-67), scored 34 runs, hit six doubles, 10 home runs and had 31 RBIs and 24 stolen bases during his senior season. He could develop into a five-tool outfielder.

Round 3: CF Daniel Carroll, Valley View (Calif.) High School
A Riverside (Calif.) County All-Star selection as a senior, Carroll has signed a national letter of intent with the University of California-Irvine.

Round 4: RHP Nolan Gallagher, Stanford University
Many thought Gallagher was a pitcher who could take a large leap forward this year as Stanford's Friday starter. Instead, he suffered through a season where he finished with an ERA over seven and lost his starting role.

Round 5: OF Joe Dunigan, University of Oklahoma
Dunigan was a Triple Crown winner for the Sooners this past season, finishing the with the best batting average (.352), most home runs (11) and most RBIs (54).