Aaron Blair

Amateur career

Aaron Blair grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and made a name for himself early. During his sophomore year at Spring Valley High School, he threw a no-hitter.

As a junior, he went undefeated with a 7-0 record. By his senior season, he was a Nevada 1st Team All-State selection, leading all 4A pitchers in the state with 91 strikeouts over 64 innings. He completed nine of his ten starts that year and also hit .449 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs.

Despite not being heavily recruited out of high school, Blair caught the attention of Marshall University while playing for the Ohio Warhawks at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, during the fall of his senior year. He accepted a scholarship to play for the Marshall Thundering Herd. As a freshman, he posted a team-best 2.72 ERA and earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshmen team. The following year, he led the Herd pitching staff in starts (14), innings pitched (83 2/3), and strikeouts (82).

Between his sophomore and junior years, Blair played summer ball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. He was named Pitcher of the Week for the first two weeks of the season, finished with a league-leading 1.17 ERA, and went 6-0 in the regular season. He added two more wins in the playoffs, including a seven-inning elimination game where he allowed just two hits and struck out ten to force a deciding game.

Returning to Marshall for his junior year, Blair landed on the Golden Spikes Award watch list and was named a 1st Team All-Conference USA pitcher. One highlight was an eight-inning, two-hit, 11-strikeout shutout against the 19th-ranked Houston Cougars in a 4-0 victory, which earned him Louisville Slugger National Pitcher of the Week honors. He finished his college career with 200 strikeouts in 202 innings. The Arizona Diamondbacks then selected him with the 36th overall pick in the first round of the MLB draft, making Blair the highest-drafted player in Marshall University baseball history.

Professional career

The Arizona Diamondbacks made Aaron Blair the 36th overall pick in the 2013 MLB draft. After signing for a $1.435 million bonus, he reported to the Hillsboro Hops of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. A promotion to the South Bend Silver Hawks of the Midwest League came in August, where he helped his new team win two playoff games. Blair began 2014 back in South Bend but moved up to the High-A Visalia Rawhide after six starts.

In his first outing for Visalia, he threw seven innings, gave up one run on three hits, walked two, and struck out nine. After 12 more appearances with Visalia, he advanced to the Double-A Mobile BayBears in the Southern League. His first two starts there were dominant: a combined 13 2/3 innings, one run allowed, eight hits, 16 strikeouts, and just one walk, earning him the Southern League Pitcher of the Week award. With Mobile, Blair posted a 4-1 record over eight starts, covering 46 1/3 innings with a 1.94 ERA and 46 strikeouts.

His full 2014 season across both levels included a 9-5 record in 27 starts, 154 1/3 innings, 171 strikeouts, and 51 walks. That year, the Diamondbacks named him their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Before the 2015 season, both MLB.com and Baseball America ranked Blair as the Diamondbacks’ third-best prospect. He returned to Mobile to start the year, making 13 starts with a 6-3 record and a 2.70 ERA over 83 1/3 innings. In June, he was promoted to the Triple-A Reno Aces, where he kept up his strong performance. In the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Blair went 7-2 with a 3.16 ERA.

Atlanta Braves

For the second straight year, he was named the Diamondbacks’ Organizational Pitcher of the Year. On December 9, 2015, Arizona traded Blair, along with Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte, to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier. At the start of the 2016 season, MLB.com ranked Blair as the Braves’ fourth-best prospect, and he received a non-roster invitation to spring training.