Atlanta Braves Newcomer: Aaron Blair, Who He Is and What The Braves Can Expect
Mar 1, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Aaron Blair (70) poses for a portrait during Photo Day at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
New Atlanta Braves Right-Hander Aaron Blair
Who Is He?
Aaron Blair is a Las Vegas, Nevada native who was drafted in the 21st round by the Houston Astros in 2010, but he instead chose to attend Marshall University. After a very good career at Marshall, he was selected with a compensation pick between the first and second round in 2013, the 36th overall selection, by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The 6’5, 230-pound right-hander started his pro career directly in low-A ball in the Northwest League before moving to South Bend in the Midwest League to finish his first pro season. The combined stat line in that first season was 11 games (all starts), 48 2/3 innings, 3.14 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 17/41 BB/K ratio.
The Diamondbacks returned him to the Midwest League A-ball team in South Bend to start 2014, and while his ERA wasn’t pretty, he was dominant at times and was moved quickly to high-A Visalia in the Cal League. In the notorious hitters’ league, his ERA remained high, but his other peripherals continued to be solid, and he was promoted for a late-season run at AA Mobile in the Southern League, where he was a standout. His total line in 2014 was 27 starts, 154 innings pitched, 3.56 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 51/171 BB/K ratio. The WHIP and strikeout rate showed more than the ERA how dominant he truly was, and he was recognized after the season as the #40 overall prospect by Baseball America. Baseball Prospectus ranked him #43 overall, and MLB.com had him #81 overall.
Next: Blair's scouting report
He returned to Mobile to start 2015, and he continued to have success, showing by midseason that he was worthy of being promoted to AAA Reno in the Pacific Coast League, a notorious hitter’s league. Instead of getting rattled by the PCL, he posted a 3.18 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in this time there. Overall, his 2015 line was 26 appearances, 25 of them starts, 160 1/3 innings, 2.92 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 50/120 BB/K. He was rated the #61 prospect in the MLB.com midseason rankings, #48 by John Sickels over at minorleagueball.com in his midseason overall rankings, and #31 in Keith Law’s top 50 midseason rankings.