Seth Blair

Seth A. Blair (born March 3, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher. He plays in Minor League Baseball as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Prior to playing professionally, he pitched collegiately for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

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 2010, he was named the Pacific-10 Pitcher of the Year,^[3][4] and an All-American according to the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America.^[5]

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.^[4] He finished his Arizona State career with a 23–5 record.^[3] Blair signed with the Cardinals.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[7][8] He returned to Palm Beach late in the season, recording a 5.40 ERA in  19 ²⁄₃ innings.^[7] 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][9] 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.^[10]

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] During the offseason, Blair lives in Phoenix with his girlfriend and their two dogs.^[3]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)