Rockies unconditionally release Casey Blake
Veteran Third Baseman Had Signed a Non-Guaranteed Contract
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has unconditionally released third-baseman Casey Blake.
“Once we made the decision that Casey was not going to make our club, we wanted to do what was best for him,” Rockies Executive Vice President/General Manager Dan O’Dowd said. “It was absolute pleasure to have Casey wear a Rockies uniform. His professionalism and work ethic were tremendous additions to our camp and we wish him the best of luck.”
Blake, 38, was signed as a free agent by Colorado to a non-guaranteed contract on January 5th. He spent the 2011 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his fourth season with Los Angeles, and batted .252 (51-for-202) with 10 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 26 RBI in 63 games. The right-handed hitter has batted .264 (1186-for-4500) with 264 doubles, 18 triples, 167 home runs and 616 RBI in 1,265 career games. The 2011 season marked Blake’s first since 2002 that he played in fewer than 109 Major League games. Blake was originally selected by Toronto in the seventh round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft out of Wichita State University. He has played in the Majors with Toronto (1999), Minnesota (2000-02), Baltimore (2001), Cleveland (2003-08) and the Dodgers (2008-11).
The Rockies have 38 players in Major League Camp, including six non-roster players. The Rockies currently have 37 players on the 40-man roster.