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Blake Sabol

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Blake Sabol
Sabol with the Giants in 2023
San Francisco Giants – No. 2
Catcher / Outfielder
Born: (1998-01-07) January 7, 1998 (age 26)
Aliso Viejo, California, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 30, 2023, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.243
Home runs13
Runs batted in45
Teams

Blake Joseph Sabol (born January 7, 1998) is an American professional baseball catcher and outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at the University of Southern California. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Sabol in the seventh round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Early life

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Sabol was born and raised in Aliso Viejo, California, about an hour south of Los Angeles, to Carmalita Brown and Rob Sabol.[1][2][3] His father played college baseball at California State University, Long Beach.[3] Sabol's older brother, Stefan, played catcher in college baseball at the University of Oregon and in the New York Mets organization.[4][5]

Sabol's mother is from American Samoa, and Sabol grew up among a Samoan community in California. National Football League Hall of Fame strong safety Troy Polamalu is his second cousin; his mother used to babysit Polamalu.[1][3][6]

Amateur career

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Sabol attended Aliso Niguel High School ('16) in Aliso Viejo.[7] In high school he batted .338/.418/.498 with 11 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 43 stolen bases in 44 attempts in 126 games, playing catcher, outfield, and first base.[8][9][10] He also played basketball and football in high school.[8] He ran a 6.77 second 60-yard dash (in the 94th percentile for his class), and as a catcher had a 1.89 second pop time.[9]

Sabol was named 2013 and 2014 All-Sea View League, and 2016 South Coast All-League. In 2013 he won a gold medal with the Team USA U15 National Team at the Pan Am Games, in 2015 Perfect Game USA rated him the No. 64 player in the nation in his class and seventh-best catcher, and Perfect Game named him a 2015 First Team Underclass All-American, and in 2016 Max Preps rated him the 23rd-best player in the nation for his class.[10]

The Cleveland Indians selected Sabol in the 33rd round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign and instead enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) to play college baseball for the USC Trojans.[11] In 2017, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and returned to the league in 2018 with the Chatham Anglers where he was named a league all-star after batting .340(4th in the league)/.445(7th)/.573(4th) in 103 at bats with 28 runs (5th), seven home runs (3rd), 21 walks (5th), and 14 stolen bases (2nd).[12][13][14][15] As a junior in 2019, he played in 55 games and batted .268/.346/.368 in 231 at bats with 37 runs, three home runs, and 22 RBIs.[12][16] In college on defense he played 70 games in left field, 55 games at catcher, and 12 in center field.[12]

Professional career

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Pittsburgh Pirates

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Sabol with the Altoona Curve in 2022.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Sabol in the seventh round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He signed with the Pirates for a signing bonus of $247,500, and made his professional debut with the Low-A West Virginia Black Bears with whom he hit .245/.350/.351 in 208 at bats with two home runs and 22 RBIs over 57 games.[18][12][19] On defense, he played 20 games in right field, 13 in left field, and 8 in center field.[12]

He split the 2021 season between the Single-A Bradenton Marauders and the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, slashing .310/.406/.551 in 245 at bats with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs over 66 games.[20] Between the two teams, he played 28 games at catcher, 12 in left field, and two in right field.[12]

He opened the 2022 season with the Double-A Altoona Curve, and was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in late August.[21] Over 123 games between the two teams, he slashed .284/.363/.497 in 447 at bats with 74 runs, 26 doubles, 19 home runs, and 75 RBIs.[22] He was 5th in the Eastern League with five triples.[12] Between the two teams, he played 66 games at catcher, 34 at DH, and 21 in left field.[12] He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros after the season.[23]

San Francisco Giants

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On December 7, 2022, Sabol was selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the fourth overall pick in the Major League phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft.[24] He was then traded 90 minutes later to the San Francisco Giants for right-hander Jake Wong and cash considerations.[25][26] Sabol joked: "Cincinnati Reds legend. Never lost a game in a Reds uniform."[25]

The Giants will not be able to send him to the minor leagues in 2023 without offering him back to the Pirates.[27] On March 26, 2023, after he batted .348 with a 1.105 OPS in spring training, it was announced that Sabol made San Francisco's Opening Day roster.[28][29] In 110 games for San Francisco, Sabol hit .236/.301/.394 with 13 home runs and 44 RBI.

Sabol was optioned to the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats to begin the 2024 season.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Biertempfel, Rob (April 26, 2022). "Pirates prospects report: Blake Sabol is catching on in new role at Double A". The Athletic.
  2. ^ "Blake Sabol Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com.
  3. ^ a b c Awal, Arati (April 13, 2023). "Blake Sabol Parents Carmen Fusipala and Rob Sabol". sportslulu.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Arslanian, Sam (March 8, 2018). "Outwork the opposition: The philosophy of USC catcher Blake Sabol". The Daily Trojan. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "Stefan Sabol - Baseball". University of Oregon Athletics.
  6. ^ Guardado, Maria (March 1, 2023). "How Samoan roots connect these two new Giants". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (February 22, 2016). "High school baseball players to watch in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Facing The Challenges Of Promotion Head-On – Blake Sabol". August 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Blake Sabol Class of 2016 - Player Profile". Perfect Game.
  10. ^ a b "Blake Sabol - Baseball". USC Athletics.
  11. ^ "Indians 33rd Round Pick: CA Blake Sabol".
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Blake Sabol Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. ^ "#4 Blake Sabol". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  14. ^ "2018 Cape Cod League Top Prospects 21–30". August 29, 2018.
  15. ^ "#21 Blake Sabol". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Pirates sign six more draft picks; seven total under contract".
  17. ^ "Pirates sign six players from 2019 Draft". MLB.com.
  18. ^ "Blake Sabol - Stats - the Baseball Cube".
  19. ^ "Black Bears Conversations: Blake Sabol". August 11, 2019.
  20. ^ "Pirates prospects report: Blake Sabol is catching on in new role at Double A".
  21. ^ "What we're hearing about Pirates prospects: Henry Davis, Matt Gorski and more".
  22. ^ "Blake Sabol Stats, Fantasy & News".
  23. ^ "The Arizona Fall League rosters are here -- and they're loaded". MLB.com.
  24. ^ "2022 Rule 5 Draft Results". MLB Trade Rumors. December 7, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Rule 5 pick Sabol in the thick of key roster battle". MLB.com.
  26. ^ "Giants trade for Blake Sabol, lose eight Double-A players in Rule 5 Draft". yahoo.com. December 9, 2022.
  27. ^ ""SF Giants acquire C/OF Blake Sabol from Reds for cash and PTBNL"". December 7, 2022.
  28. ^ "Giants' Blake Sabol: Makes roster, could start opener". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  29. ^ Pashelka, Curtis (April 26, 2023). "SF Giants: Inside Blake Sabol's career night, ending in an electrifying walk-off bomb". Mercury News. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  30. ^ "Giants' Blake Sabol: Optioned to Triple-A". CBSSports.com. March 26, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
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