|
2007 Blake blossomed into a big leaguer in 2003 at the advanced age of 29, but the bloom seemed to be off the rose after a 2005 season that was just plain bad. After pushing off speculation that his job was in jeopardy with a torrid start to 2006, hitting .330/.411/.566 through early June, Blake was already cooling when a strained left oblique sent him to the DL for a month. He continued to hit well upon returning in mid-July, but an ankle injury that shelved him for twenty days in August finally derailed his momentum. From his August 25 return until the end of the season, he batted .211/.268/.325 with just 3 home runs in 114 at-bats. For the season, he was a league-average right fielder--not great, not bad, but good enough for the Indians to pick up his $3.75 million extension for 2007. He`ll get plenty of at-bats as a platoon option at both corner outfield positions and as a back-up first baseman. 2006 After five years as a waiver-wire hot potato, Blake had his career year in 2004 at the age 30, while playing a brutal third base. Shifted to right field to make room for Aaron Boone, Blake went back to being a spud. Despite leading the AL in pitches per plate appearance in 2005, Blake`s bat is light for an infield or outfield corner, which are the only spots he`s "capable" of playing (he was second among AL right fielders in errors last year). The Indians inked him to a two-year, $5.4 million deal after his 2004 season, one of Mark Shapiro`s few mistakes. 2005 Blake unexpectedly peaked, exceeding his 90th-percentile PECOTA projection with room to spare. Still, his horror show defense (including 26 errors) created a need for Aaron Boone in the organization's mind, and so Blake will begin 2005 as a potential right fielder in a crowded outfield. At 31, it's likely that we've just seen the best 600 ABs of Blake's career, but he should retain enough value to be at least an average contributor. He's a lock to outperform the .245/.338/.395 Cleveland got out of right field in '04, should he fend off challenges from everyone this side of Rocky Colavito. 2003 Blake isn’t suited for a role as a platoon hitter. He kills junk from righties or lefties, but he can be overpowered. As managers like McCarthy, Stengel, and Weaver demonstrated, platooning doesn’t have to be about righty-lefty splits, so Blake could have value as a spare part on a team that needs somebody who can put the hurt on Jamie Moyer or John Stephens with equal aplomb. He has a chance to be the Tribe’s Opening Day third baseman. 2002 A refugee from the Blue Jays' system, Blake is potentially a very useful player on the right club. He can play any infield position for short periods of time, and given 500 at-bats in an emergency situation, could definitely push a team towards a title, a la Randy Velarde. 2001 Not a lot of guys like Casey Blake make the book, but we’re in Ron Coomer territory here, and natural laws of selection don’t always apply. Blake has helped himself by playing a little bit of shortstop and first base. The Twins already have a good set of utility men, and getting a platoon mate for Koskie isn’t that high a priority or even necessary. Blake will need a break to have as much of a career as Archi Cianfrocco or Craig Paquette. 2000 He may be the Jays’ answer the third-base question in 2000, but Blake is more problem than solution. His defensive reputation is good, in contrast to his numbers, and that’s the best part of his game. If Toronto is going to contend, they’ll have to do better than this at the hot corner. 1999 He had an excellent season after he gave up on trying to pull everything, as he had been doing in his first two years. He's come along much better than most scouts expected, and he's become a much more consistent defensive player. Nevertheless, keep in mind that he's neither the hitter nor the defensive player that Tom Evans is, and he's both older and behind Evans in the chain.
|