Seth Blair

Seth A. Blair (born March 3, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization. Prior to playing professionally, he pitched collegiately for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Seth Blair
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher
Born: (1989-03-03) March 3, 1989
Rock Falls, Illinois
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Career

Blair attended Rock Falls High School, where he starred for the school's baseball team. He was also invited to compete in tournaments, including the 2005 Junior Olympics.[1] He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 47th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, but opted to attend college rather than sign with the Athletics.[2] He then enrolled at Arizona State University, where he played college baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Pacific-10 Conference. He formed a strong starting rotation along with Mike Leake and Josh Spence.[3] In 2009, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] In 2010, he was named the Pacific-10 Pitcher of the Year,[3][5] and an All-American according to the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America.[6]

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Blair in the first round, with the 46th overall selection, of the 2010 MLB Draft. At the time of the draft, he had a 12–0 win–loss record, a 3.06 earned run average (ERA), 98 strikeouts and 22 walks in 97 innings pitched for the Sun Devils that season.[5] He finished his Arizona State career with a 23–5 record.[3] Blair signed with the Cardinals.[7] In 2011, he had a 6–3 win-loss record with a 5.29 ERA for the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Class A Midwest League. The team dismissed Blair during their postseason for violating team rules.[8]

Out of spring training in 2012, the Cardinals assigned Blair to the Palm Beach Cardinals of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. In April 2012, following pain experienced while throwing, Blair was diagnosed with an enchondroma, a benign tumor in a joint of his middle finger on his pitching hand.[8][9] He returned to Palm Beach late in the season, recording a 5.40 ERA in ​19 2⁄3 innings.[8] After the 2012 season, the Cardinals assigned him to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, where he had a 2–1 record, a 2.25 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 20 innings pitched.[3][10] Blair pitched for the Springfield Cardinals of the Class AA Texas League in 2013, where he had a 5.07 ERA in 22 starts, but finished strong in his final seven starts. He was assigned to Springfield to start the 2014 season.[11]

Blair was released by the Cardinals after the 2014 season, and left baseball. He returned to baseball in 2019, playing for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the Class A-Advanced California League. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he opened up his backyard training site for other pitchers.[12] In August 2020, Blair signed with the Boston Red Sox and was added to their 60-man player pool.[13] In early November 2020, he was re-signed by the Red Sox to a minor-league deal for the 2021 season.[14]

Personal

Blair's father, Al, played college baseball for Southern Illinois University and Illinois State University. His brother, Shane, played baseball as a catcher on the Rock Falls high school team.[1][3]

References
  1. Larkin, Will (April 22, 2007). "All eyes on Seth Blair". SaukValley.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  2. "Cardinals Draft Blair". mystateline.com. June 8, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  3. Martinez, Robert (November 22, 2012). "Rock Falls graduate regains control in Arizona: Blair fall pitching project". SaukValley.com. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  4. "#34 Seth Blair". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. "ASU's top starter plucked by Cards | cardinals.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. March 27, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  6. "NCAA Baseball Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  7. "St. Louis Cardinals sign Seth Blair, former Arizona State star". Azcentral.com. Associated Press. July 30, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  8. Goold, Derrick (September 16, 2012). "Cards prospect Blair battles back from tumor : Sports". Stltoday.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  9. Reynolds, Ty (July 3, 2012). "Rock Falls native Seth Blair on road back from injury". SaukValley.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  10. Goold, Derrick (October 24, 2012). "Cards prospects Blair, Siegrist find footing in Arizona : Sports". Stltoday.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  11. Booher, Kary (April 1, 2014). "Petrick leads the way for Springfield rotation". News-leader.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  12. Anna Katherine Clemmons (May 19, 2020). "Stranded M.L.B. Prospects Find a Backyard of Dreams – The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  13. Cotillo, Chris (August 7, 2020). "Boston Red Sox roster moves: Pitcher Seth Blair added to player pool, Worcester native John Andreoli released". MassLive.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  14. Cotillo, Chris (November 2, 2020). "Boston Red Sox re-sign 9 minor-league free agents; Josh Ockimey, Stephen Gonsalves, Caleb Simpson among those returning". masslive.com. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
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