Top prospect Blair shines in Double-A debut
Righty tosses 6 2/3 shutout frames, striking out nine for Mobile
Right-hander Aaron Blair, the D-backs' No. 3 prospect, threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings Monday in his debut with Double-A Mobile, as the BayBears defeated Pensacola, 6-3.
Blair struck out nine batters, walked none and held the Blue Wahoos to four hits. He threw 93 pitches and picked up the victory. He even helped out the offense, recording his first career hit in the fifth inning.
Though Blair cruised through most of the outing, he did need some help from his defense in the fifth inning to keep Pensacola off the board. With two outs in the inning, Devin Lohman doubled to left and Rossmel Perez tried to score from first base. But he was thrown out at the plate by a relay of left fielder Zach Borenstein and shortstop Nate Samson to end the inning.
Blair has blazed through the Minor Leagues since the D-backs selected him with the 36th overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. He began this season with Class A South Bend and was promoted to Class A Advanced Visalia a month into it.
Between all three levels, Blair is 6-4 with a 4.00 ERA in 20 starts. He has struck out 134 batters and walked 35 in 114 2/3 innings. He ranks second among all Minor Leaguers in strikeouts, just one behind Pensacola starter Ben Lively.