Casey Blake
Encyclopedia
William Casey Blake is a Major League Baseball
third baseman
who is currently a free agent.
Blake previously played with the Toronto Blue Jays
, Minnesota Twins
, Baltimore Orioles
, Cleveland Indians
and Los Angeles Dodgers
. He had alternated between playing at third base and first base before becoming a full-time third baseman with the Indians. In , Blake moved to right field
to accommodate the Indians' signing of third baseman Aaron Boone
, and stayed there for two seasons before moving back to third base.
Blake was drafted twice prior to signing with the Blue Jays: in , he was selected during the 11th round by the Philadelphia Phillies
and in , he was taken by the New York Yankees
during the 45th round.
where he played baseball
, football
, basketball
, and participated in track
. He was named one of the top ten high school athletes in the history of Iowa
.
Blake attended Wichita State University
, where he was a three-time All-American, two-time Academic All-American and participated in the College World Series
. He batted
.320 with 22 home run
s and 101 RBIs
during his senior year.
(1996), Dunedin Blue Jays
(1997–98), Knoxville Smokies (1998), St. Catharines Stompers (1999) and Syracuse SkyChiefs
(1999–2000). He made his MLB debut on August 14, 1999, against the Oakland Athletics
at third base and went 0 for 3 at the plate. He recorded his first hit on August 29 against the Texas Rangers
, and his first home run on October 2 against the Cleveland Indians
(off pitcher Jim Brower
).
claimed Blake off waivers from the Blue Jays in 2000 and played him primarily at AAA with the Salt Lake Buzz (2000) and Edmonton Trappers
(2001–02). He appeared in 7 games with the Twins in 2000 and 13 with them in 2001.
on September 21, 2001. Blake appeared in only six games with the Orioles at the end of the 2001 season before they released him.
(143), and doubles
(35) while compiling career highs in every offensive category. Blake started in every spot in the batting order except the leadoff spot, the most common slot being the #2 hole in the lineup. He had a fielding percentage
of .952. He was named AL Player of the Week of June 30– July 6. He ended the season with 17 home runs, 67 RBIs, and a .257 batting average in 152 games played.
In , Blake had his finest offensive season to date in his second straight full season in the major leagues as the Indians third baseman. In June, he hit .330 (37-112) with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 28 games. From June 1 through the end the season, he hit .283, with 22 HR and 68 RBIs in 112 games. He had an AL-low fielding percentage of .939 at third base and led the majors at that position with 26 errors
. Blake signed a two-year contract on January 21, 2004. He finished the season with a .271 batting average, 28 home runs, and 88 RBIs.
In 2005, Blake converted to right field and filled in at third base and first base. He had 56 extra base hit
s. Blake made 132 starts in right field, six at third base and four starts at first. In the outfield, he made eight errors in 298 total chances. In 2005, Blake ended the season with a .241 average, 23 home runs, and 58 RBIs, with 116 K's
while batting .084 with runners in scoring position.
In , Blake once again was the Indians' starting right fielder. He ultimately ended up missing much of the season due to injury, playing in only 109 games. Blake ended the season with a career-high .282 batting average, 19 home runs, and 68 RBIs.
Andy Marté
's demotion to Triple-A resulted in Blake taking over once again as the Indians' starting third baseman. Blake had a 26-game hit streak from May 20 through June 18 during which he hit .317 with seven home runs.
On July 3, , Blake hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th against the Detroit Tigers
, which gave Cleveland a three-game lead over Detroit.
As the Indians drove for a playoff spot, Blake hit a walk-off home run
against the Kansas City Royals
on September 14, 2007. Three days later (again facing the Tigers), Blake hit another walk-off home run, all but ending the Tigers' Central Division title hopes.
Blake was twice named clutch player of the year in his time with the Indians.
and John Meloan. He went 2 for 3 with a double and a run
scored in his debut with the Dodgers on July 26. He hit his first home run with the Dodgers on August 2, 2008. Blake hit .251 with 10 home runs in 58 games with the Dodgers in 2008 and on December 9, signed a three-year extension with the club for $17 million.
In 2009, he hit .280 with 18 home runs for the Dodgers and his fielding percentage is the best all-time for a Dodger third baseman.
In 2010, he hit .248, his lowest average since 2005, with 17 home runs and 64 RBI.
Due to various injuries, Blake was only able to appear in 63 games for the Dodgers in 2011, hitting .252 with only 4 home runs, his lowest total since 2002. On September 1, he decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his neck to relieve the pain from a pinched nerve that had bothered him all season.
On October 4, 2011, the Dodgers declined Blake's 2012 option, instead paying him a buyout of $1.25 million and making him a free agent.
him while participating in one of his favorite hobbies, duck hunting.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
who is currently a free agent.
Blake previously played with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
, Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. He had alternated between playing at third base and first base before becoming a full-time third baseman with the Indians. In , Blake moved to right field
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
to accommodate the Indians' signing of third baseman Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone is a former Major League Baseball infielder whose famous home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield won the 2003 American League Championship Series for the New York Yankees. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Washington...
, and stayed there for two seasons before moving back to third base.
Blake was drafted twice prior to signing with the Blue Jays: in , he was selected during the 11th round by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and in , he was taken by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
during the 45th round.
High school and college
Blake was a four-sport standout at Indianola High School in Indianola, IowaIndianola, Iowa
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,998 people, 4,748 households, and 3,261 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,414.7 people per square mile . There were 4,981 housing units at an average density of 542.1 per square mile...
where he played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and participated in track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. He was named one of the top ten high school athletes in the history of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
Blake attended Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
, where he was a three-time All-American, two-time Academic All-American and participated in the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
. He batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.320 with 22 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 101 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
during his senior year.
Toronto Blue Jays
From –, Blake spent most of his time in the minor leagues. In the Blue Jays minor league system he played for the Hagerstown SunsHagerstown Suns
The Hagerstown Suns are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. They play in Municipal Stadium, which was opened in 1930 and seats 4,600 fans....
(1996), Dunedin Blue Jays
Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team based in Dunedin, Florida. They play in the Florida State League, and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club...
(1997–98), Knoxville Smokies (1998), St. Catharines Stompers (1999) and Syracuse SkyChiefs
Syracuse SkyChiefs
The Syracuse Chiefs are a minor league baseball team based in Syracuse, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals...
(1999–2000). He made his MLB debut on August 14, 1999, against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
at third base and went 0 for 3 at the plate. He recorded his first hit on August 29 against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, and his first home run on October 2 against the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(off pitcher Jim Brower
Jim Brower
James Robert Brower is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for 8 MLB teams: Cleveland Indians , Cincinnati Reds , Montreal Expos , San Francisco Giants , Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles , San Diego Padres , and New York Yankees...
).
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
claimed Blake off waivers from the Blue Jays in 2000 and played him primarily at AAA with the Salt Lake Buzz (2000) and Edmonton Trappers
Edmonton Trappers
The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada....
(2001–02). He appeared in 7 games with the Twins in 2000 and 13 with them in 2001.
Baltimore Orioles
Blake was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
on September 21, 2001. Blake appeared in only six games with the Orioles at the end of the 2001 season before they released him.
Minnesota Twins
He was picked up again by the Twins in 2002 and played in 9 games for them and 126 with Edmonton that year.Cleveland Indians
In , Blake became the Indians' everyday third baseman in his first full season in the major leagues. He led the team in games played with 152, hitsHit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(143), and doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(35) while compiling career highs in every offensive category. Blake started in every spot in the batting order except the leadoff spot, the most common slot being the #2 hole in the lineup. He had a fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
of .952. He was named AL Player of the Week of June 30– July 6. He ended the season with 17 home runs, 67 RBIs, and a .257 batting average in 152 games played.
In , Blake had his finest offensive season to date in his second straight full season in the major leagues as the Indians third baseman. In June, he hit .330 (37-112) with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 28 games. From June 1 through the end the season, he hit .283, with 22 HR and 68 RBIs in 112 games. He had an AL-low fielding percentage of .939 at third base and led the majors at that position with 26 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
. Blake signed a two-year contract on January 21, 2004. He finished the season with a .271 batting average, 28 home runs, and 88 RBIs.
In 2005, Blake converted to right field and filled in at third base and first base. He had 56 extra base hit
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
s. Blake made 132 starts in right field, six at third base and four starts at first. In the outfield, he made eight errors in 298 total chances. In 2005, Blake ended the season with a .241 average, 23 home runs, and 58 RBIs, with 116 K's
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
while batting .084 with runners in scoring position.
In , Blake once again was the Indians' starting right fielder. He ultimately ended up missing much of the season due to injury, playing in only 109 games. Blake ended the season with a career-high .282 batting average, 19 home runs, and 68 RBIs.
Andy Marté
Andy Marté
Andy Manuel Marté is a Dominican professional baseball third baseman with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in Major League Baseball. On December 1, 2010, Marte signed a minor league deal with the Pirates.-Career:Marté signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 2000, and succeeded at...
's demotion to Triple-A resulted in Blake taking over once again as the Indians' starting third baseman. Blake had a 26-game hit streak from May 20 through June 18 during which he hit .317 with seven home runs.
On July 3, , Blake hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, which gave Cleveland a three-game lead over Detroit.
As the Indians drove for a playoff spot, Blake hit a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
against the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
on September 14, 2007. Three days later (again facing the Tigers), Blake hit another walk-off home run, all but ending the Tigers' Central Division title hopes.
Blake was twice named clutch player of the year in his time with the Indians.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On July 26, , Blake was traded from the Indians to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league players Carlos SantanaCarlos Santana (baseball)
Carlos Santana is a Dominican Republic professional baseball player, who is currently a catcher and first baseman with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball's American League.-Professional career:...
and John Meloan. He went 2 for 3 with a double and a run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
scored in his debut with the Dodgers on July 26. He hit his first home run with the Dodgers on August 2, 2008. Blake hit .251 with 10 home runs in 58 games with the Dodgers in 2008 and on December 9, signed a three-year extension with the club for $17 million.
In 2009, he hit .280 with 18 home runs for the Dodgers and his fielding percentage is the best all-time for a Dodger third baseman.
In 2010, he hit .248, his lowest average since 2005, with 17 home runs and 64 RBI.
Due to various injuries, Blake was only able to appear in 63 games for the Dodgers in 2011, hitting .252 with only 4 home runs, his lowest total since 2002. On September 1, he decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his neck to relieve the pain from a pinched nerve that had bothered him all season.
On October 4, 2011, the Dodgers declined Blake's 2012 option, instead paying him a buyout of $1.25 million and making him a free agent.
Personal life
Blake splits time between Indianola, Iowa and Los Angeles, California with his wife, three daughters and a son. When asked about his beard, he answers that he grows it simply because he does not like to shave. The beard also helps camouflageCamouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
him while participating in one of his favorite hobbies, duck hunting.