After months of waiting and wondering where he would go in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, former Cal baseball center fielder Brett Jackson will simply be trading the block “C” on his cap for one of a slightly different shape.

Jackson, who was projected by most mock drafts to go in the mid- to late-first round, was drafted No. 31 overall by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening, becoming the fourth-highest pick in Cal program history and the third first-rounder that coach David Esquer has produced at the Bears’ helm. The Orinda, Calif., native was the 10th outfielder drafted and gave Cal a first-round pick for the second straight year. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted David Cooper 17th overall in 2008.

Jackson was a preseason All-American and named the 13th-best player in college baseball by the College Baseball Blog before the start of the 2009 season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound center fielder has the complete look of a baseball player and the skills to match, combining a quick first step and range in the outfield with a fairly strong arm, speed on the basepaths and a quick bat from the left side that hits for power and average. He started every game for Cal in 2009 and batted .321 with eight home runs and 41 RBI, posting an OPS of .971.

Cal’s likely draftees still on the long list of available players are senior Michael Brady and juniors Blake Smith and Jeff Kobernus. Teams will play out the first three rounds of the Draft tonight, complete rounds 4-30 on Wednesday and then finish up 31-50 on Thursday.

Photo: Lara Brucker, The Daily Californian/File