Casey Blake

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Casey Blake bigraphy, stories - American baseball player

Casey Blake : biography

August 23, 1973 –

William Casey Blake (born August 23, 1973) is a retired Major League Baseball third baseman.

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.

Professional career

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 Suns (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).

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins 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.

Baltimore Orioles

Blake was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles 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, hits (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 hits. 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.