Paul Cady Blackburn (born December 4, 1993) is an
American 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
for the
Oakland Athletics of
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). He made his MLB debut in 2017.
Career
Chicago Cubs
Blackburn was drafted by the
Chicago Cubs in the first round of the
2012 Major League Baseball draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks, first ...
out of
Heritage High School in
Brentwood, California. He made his professional debut that season with the Rookie
Arizona League Cubs
The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of player ...
, going 2–0 with a 3.48 ERA in nine games (six starts). He played in 2013 with the Class A-Short Season
Boise Hawks
The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in Garden City, Idaho, a small city surroun ...
, going 2–3 with a 3.33 ERA in 13 games (12 starts), and in 2014 with the Class A
Kane County Cougars
The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...
, pitching to a 9–4 record with a 3.23 ERA in 24 starts. He spent 2015 with the Class A-Advanced
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at TicketReturn.com Field, which open ...
where he compiled a 7–5 record with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 18 starts. Blackburn began 2016 with the Double-A
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...
.
Seattle Mariners
On July 20, 2016, the Cubs traded Blackburn and
Dan Vogelbach to the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
for
Mike Montgomery
Michael John Montgomery (born February 27, 1947) is a retired American basketball coach. He is best known for his 18-year tenure at Stanford (1986–2004), where he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 199 ...
and Jordan Pries. Seattle assigned him to the Double-A
Jackson Generals
The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...
. In 26 total games (25 starts) between Tennessee and Jackson, he was 9–5 with a 3.27 ERA.
Oakland Athletics
On November 12, 2016, Blackburn was traded to the
Oakland Athletics for
Danny Valencia
Daniel Paul Valencia (דני ולנסיה; born September 19, 1984) is an American-Israeli professional baseball player who currently plays for the Israeli national baseball team. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota ...
. The Athletics added him to their 40-man roster a few days later.
He began 2017 with the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds. Through June 26, 2017, Blackburn had a 5–6 record with a 3.05 ERA and 56 strikeouts for the Sounds. He was named to the 2017
Pacific Coast League All-Star Team.
Blackburn was called up to the Oakland Athletics to make his major league debut on July 1, 2017, against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
. He spent the remainder of the season with Oakland, going 3–1 with a 3.22 ERA in ten starts. On August 22, Blackburn was struck on the hand by a line drive off the bat of
Trey Mancini
Joseph Anthony "Trey" Mancini III (born March 18, 1992) is an American professional baseball designated hitter, first baseman and outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimo ...
during a start in Baltimore. He exited the game and would not pitch again that season.
In 2018, he began the season on the disabled list. He was activated on June 7 and reported to Oakland, compiling a 7.16 ERA in six starts. On August 28, Blackburn was placed on the disabled list with a forearm injury.
In 2019, Blackburn appeared in 4 games, pitching to a 10.64 ERA with 8 strikeouts in 11.0 innings pitched. Blackburn only made one appearance in 2020, giving up 7 earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched.
On February 23, 2021, Blackburn was designated for assignment after the signing of
Mitch Moreland
Mitchell Austin Moreland (born September 6, 1985), nicknamed "2-Bags", is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres ...
was made official. On February 27, Blackburn was outrighted and invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. On August 18, Blackburn was selected from Triple-A
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
In 2022, Blackburn's record with Oakland was 7–6 with a 4.28 ERA in 21 starts. Blackburn was Oakland's lone representative for the
2022 All-Star Game.
On January 13, 2023, Blackburn signed a one-year, $1.9 million contract with the Athletics, avoiding salary arbitration.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackburn, Paul
1993 births
Living people
People from Antioch, California
Baseball players from California
Major League Baseball pitchers
American League All-Stars
Oakland Athletics players
Arizona League Cubs players
Boise Hawks players
Kane County Cougars players
Myrtle Beach Pelicans players
Tennessee Smokies players
Jackson Generals (Southern League) players
Nashville Sounds players
Stockton Ports players
Las Vegas Aviators players