Tomahawk Take’s Top 20 Atlanta Braves Prospects: #5-1
3. Aaron Blair
– by Fred Owens, Tomahawk Take Staff Writer
Who He Is
Aaron Blair has always pitched well but in spite of his high school success he was not a hot prospect or even heavily recruited by colleges. Marshall offered him a scholarship after watching him in the WWBA World Championships . That worked out well for both as he led their team with a 2.72 ERA as a freshman and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. As a sophomore he led Marshall with 14 starts, 83 2/3 IP and 82 Ks./
Major league scouts eyes were opened following his sophomore year league when he pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the wooden bat Cape Cod League. He was dominant that summer making six starts and two relief appearances, finishing with a 6-0 record and a league leading 1.17 ERA. In the playoffs he won game two of the three game series going 7 innings while allowing just 2 hits and striking out 10 to force a decisive game three.
The Diamondbacks drafted Blair with their second pick (36th overall) of the 2013 draft, the same year his little league teammate Kris Bryant was selected by the Cubs. Since that time he’s been consistently successful.
He started 2014 with South Bend but six starts later he was promoted to the A+ Visalia Rawhide and 12 starts later he found himself with Mobile in the Southern League where he announced his intentions immediately throwing 13 1/3 innings of 1 run, 8 hit ball, striking out 16 and walking 1 in his first two starts. He finished his 2014 in Mobile with a 4-1 record in his 8 starts allowing only 28 hits while walking just 10 and striking out 39 earning; that earned him D’Backs Minor League Pitcher of the year honors.
Last season saw his rapid rise through the Minors continue as he started with Mobile and made just 13 starts before heading to AAA Reno where he posted a 3.16 ERA and a 7-2 record in 77 IP and was named D’Backs 2015 Organizational Pitcher of the Year.
Scouting and 2016 Projection
Here you pay your money and you make your choice of a few variations. In general the scores look like this:
Fastball 55/60 Curve 45/50 Change 50/55 Command 45/50 Future Value 55
Next: Prospect Number 2
There’s a full scouting report available on site but a few things stand out. Blair doesn’t panic or get emotional. He pitched in big games at the collegiate level and never got flustered. My daddy would have said he’s a big boy at 6’5” and 235 with a sweet easy motion that deceives. He has always had a knack for striking out hitters once he adjusts to each new level even though he has no plus plus pitch. Those traits remind me of a young Aaron Harang or John Lackey. I could see him arriving in Atlanta with the first injury or bad start to the year and staying.