The CBB continues our countdown to the 2009 College Baseball season with our Top 50 players to watch. We had to take a brief hiatus due to a heavy ice storm that hit New England that left me without power for over 70 hours over the weekend. We will continue to name one player each day (Monday-Saturday) until we reach number 1. We continue our list today with junior outfielder Blake Smith from California. He is a 6’2 220 pound outfielder is a resident of Modesto California attended Thomas Downey High School.
Blake became an instant star for the California Bears in his freshman campaign which saw him hit .320 with six homers and 30 RBI in 2007. He also saw time on the mound as he pitched in 21.1 innings where he ended up striking out 23 batters. He was named an honorable mention All Pac-10 for his accomplishments.
He came back in 2008 and put together a solid season which saw him play in 54 games while hitting .296 with 12 homers and 43 RBI. He was also a solid base runner swiping six bases in nine attempts. He ended up serving the season as the top setup man for the Bears pitching in 21.1 innings with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 3.80. He was still dominate by striking out 36 batters.
Smith spent the summer of 2008 with the USA National Team where he was primarily used out of the bullpen. He ended up going 1-0 without allowing an earned run in five appearances totally nine innings of work. He held batters to a .111 average which was the second lowest on the team.
We spoke to one amateur scout who stated the following: “He is an impressive player on both sides of the ball. He’s very competitive and wants to be in there in a key situation, either on the mound in the 9th to close a game out or hitting to provide a game winning hit.” We agree with this scouts assessment of Mr. Smith and believe he will be one of the top player in the country in 2009.
