Blalock still can’t get things going
By john • May 7th, 2008 • Category: Clearwater Threshers, jake blalock, philadelphia phillies, reading philliesAt the age of 24 it’s starting to look like Jake Blalock’s once long shot to make it to the big leagues is over.
Blalock was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the 2002 draft and was assigned to Rookie ball for the remainder of the year.
After a tough season in the New York Penn League Blalock began to show promise as he hit 16 home runs and drove in 90 during his stint with the Lakewood Blue Claws of the South Atlantic League.
The following season he improved both his average and on-base percentage upon a promotion of High-A ball and the Texas Rangers eventually acquired him in a trade with Robinson Tejeda for David Dellucci.
He’d spend all of 2006 at Double-A playing with the Frisco Roughriders. Blalock typically was placed at the bottom of the order and hit just .266 with a .339 on-base percentage on his way to 26 extra base hits in 110 games.
Last season the Rangers moved the younger Blalock to Bakersfield and after a nice start with the High A team was again sent to Frisco where he struggled and hit just .170 before being traded to Kansas City where he played in 30 games for their Double-A team Witchia. After hitting just .153 he found himself released and was picked up by organization that drafted him, Philadelphia.
He did have a bit of a rebirth with the Phillies once assigned to High-A Clearwater finishing with a .264 average and a .816 OPS.
This season at the age of 24 Blalock stands in minor league purgatory. He’s shown he can hit at times but not enough to continue moving up the ladder.
His splits between Clearwater and Reading are mind bloggeling.
.219/.342/.375/ .717 CLW
.364/.440/.636/1.076 REA
Where Blalock goes from here is anyones guess. His last name has given him second chances in the past and he’ll figure to get the rest of this year to work it out with Philadelphia but after seven seasons and a .260/.337/.402 line the outlook of Blalock is dim.
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