William Casey Blake (born August 23, 1973) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

, and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. He had alternated between playing at third base and

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

before becoming a full-time third baseman with the Indians. In , Blake moved to

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

to accommodate the Indians' signing of third baseman

Aaron Boone Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. As a player, ...

, and stayed there for two seasons before moving back to third base. Blake was drafted twice prior to signing with the Blue Jays: in , he was selected during the 11th round by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and in , he was taken by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

during the 45th round.

High school and college

Blake was a four-sport standout at Indianola High School in

Indianola, Iowa Indianola is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States, located south of downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The population was 15,833 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. Indianola is home to the National Balloon ...

, where he played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, and participated in

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He was named one of the top ten high school athletes in the history of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. Blake attended

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

, where he was a three-time All-American, two-time Academic All-American and participated in the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

. He batted .320 with 22

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 101

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

during his senior year. In 1993, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Hyannis Mets The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

From –, Blake spent most of his time in the minor leagues. In the Blue Jays minor league system he played for the

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home g ...

(1996),

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

(1997–98),

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

(1998),

St. Catharines Stompers The St. Catharines Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team which played at Community Park in St. Catharines, Ontario. They were the Short-Season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays in the New York–Penn League. History The team began pla ...

(1999) and

Syracuse SkyChiefs The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which open ...

(1999–2000). He made his MLB debut on August 14, 1999, against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

at third base and went 0 for 3 at the plate. He recorded his first hit on August 29 against the Texas Rangers, and his first home run on October 2 against the

(off pitcher

Jim Brower James Robert Brower (born December 29, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for eight Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Cleveland Indians (-), Cincinnati Reds (-), Montreal Expos (2002), San Francisco Giants ( ...

Minnesota Twins

The

claimed Blake off waivers from the Blue Jays in 2000 and played him primarily at AAA with the

Salt Lake Buzz Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

(2000) and

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. The ...

(2001–02). He appeared in 7 games with the Twins in 2000 and 13 with them in 2001.

Baltimore Orioles

Blake was claimed off waivers by the

on September 21, 2001. Blake appeared in only six games with the Orioles at the end of the 2001 season before they released him.

Minnesota Twins

He was picked up again by the Twins in 2002 and played in 9 games for them and 126 with Edmonton that year.

Cleveland Indians

In , Blake became the Indians' everyday third baseman in his first full season in the major leagues. He led the team in games played with 152,

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(143), and doubles (35) while compiling career highs in every offensive category. Blake started in every spot in the batting order except the leadoff spot, the most common slot being the #2 hole in the lineup. He had a

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

of .952. He was named AL Player of the Week of June 30– July 6. He ended the season with 17 home runs, 67 RBIs, and a .257 batting average in 152 games played. In , Blake had his finest offensive season to date in his second straight full season in the major leagues as the Indians third baseman. In June, he hit .330 (37-112) with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 28 games. From June 1 through the end the season, he hit .283, with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs in 112 games. He had an AL-low fielding percentage of .939 at third base and led the majors at that position with 26 errors. Blake signed a two-year contract on January 21, 2004. He finished the season with a .271 batting average, 28 home runs, and 88 RBIs. In 2005, Blake converted to right field and filled in at third base and first base. He had 56

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire anot ...

s. Blake made 132 starts in right field, six at third base and four starts at first. In the outfield, he made eight errors in 298 total chances. In 2005, Blake ended the season with a .241 average, 23 home runs, and 58 RBIs, with 116 K's while batting .084 with runners in scoring position. In , Blake once again was the Indians' starting right fielder. He ultimately ended up missing much of the season due to injury, playing in only 109 games. Blake ended the season with a career-high .282 batting average, 19 home runs, and 68 RBIs.

Andy Marte Andy Manuel Marte (October 21, 1983 – January 22, 2017) was a Dominican professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He also played in the KBO ...

's demotion to Triple-A resulted in Blake taking over once again as the Indians' starting third baseman. Blake had a 26-game hit streak from May 20 through June 18 during which he hit .317 with seven home runs. On July 3, , Blake hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, which gave Cleveland a three-game lead over Detroit. As the Indians drove for a playoff spot, Blake hit a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

on September 14, 2007. Three days later (again facing the Tigers), Blake hit another walk-off home run, all but ending the Tigers' Central Division title hopes. Blake was twice named clutch player of the year in his time with the Indians.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 26, , Blake was traded from the Indians to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league players

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

and

Jon Meloan Jonathan Michael Meloan (born July 11, 1984) is a former pitcher in professional baseball. He played in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics. Early life He was an academic all-district honoree ...

. He went 2 for 3 with a double and a

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

scored in his debut with the Dodgers on July 26. He hit his first home run with the

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

on August 2, 2008. Blake hit .251 with 10 home runs in 58 games with the Dodgers in 2008 and on December 9, signed a three-year extension with the club for $17 million. In 2009, he hit .280 with 18 home runs for the Dodgers and his fielding percentage was the best all-time for a Dodger third baseman. In 2010, he hit .248, his lowest average since 2005, with 17 home runs and 64 RBI. Due to various injuries, Blake was only able to appear in 63 games for the Dodgers in 2011, hitting .252 with only 4 home runs, his lowest total since 2002. On September 1, he decided to undergo season-ending surgery on his neck to relieve the pain from a pinched nerve that had bothered him all season. On October 4, 2011, the Dodgers declined Blake's 2012 option, instead paying him a buyout of $1.25 million and making him a free agent.

Colorado Rockies

On December 20, 2011, Blake signed with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. However, he was released before the end of Spring Training on March 27, 2012. Blake announced his retirement on May 8, 2012.

Personal life

Blake splits time between

and

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with his wife, four daughters and a son. When asked about his beard, he answers that he grows it simply because he does not like to shave. The beard also helps

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

him while participating in one of his favorite hobbies, duck hunting. Blake and his wife began a foundation which donated well over $1,000,000 to the Indianola school district to build the district's athletic, academic and fine arts programs.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Casey 1973 births Living people Akron Aeros players Albuquerque Isotopes players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Des Moines, Iowa Baltimore Orioles players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Cleveland Indians players Dunedin Blue Jays players Edmonton Trappers players Hagerstown Suns players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Knoxville Smokies players Lake County Captains players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball third basemen Minnesota Twins players People from Indianola, Iowa Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Salt Lake Buzz players St. Catharines Stompers players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players Wichita State Shockers baseball players