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Ryan Blair
OF, Cleveland Indians, 21st |
Ryan Blair (2007-08)
OF, Cleveland Indians, 21st Round
Ryan Blair began his second professional season with the Lake County Captains of the Class A South Atlantic League, before being called up to the High-A Carolina League's Kinston Indians on May 12. He was then called up to the AAA International League's Columbus Clippers on August 19, connecting on a triple in his first game.
Blair spent his first season of minor league baseball with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League, hitting .235 with two home runs and 22 RBI.
Blair was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 21st round (651st selection) of the 2008 draft. A two year starter after transfering to Sacramento State from the College of the Sequoias, Blair was a .323 hitter during his time in the Green and Gold. He started 109 games for the Hornets, and appeared in 113, starting all but one game during his senior season.
A native of Visalia, Calif., Blair was a second team all-WAC selection in 2008 after hitting .330 with five home runs and 33 RBI. Blair led the team on the basepaths for the second straight season, stealing 15 bases in 19 attempts, pushing his career total to 33 thefts on 41 tries. He started at all three outfield positions during the season, and did not commit an error while collecting five outfield assists.
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Blake Crosby
1B, Oakland A's, 42nd |
Blake Crosby (2007-09)
1B, Oakland A's, 42nd Round
Blake Crosby begins his first professional season with the AZL Athletics of the Arizona Rookie League
The Cypress, Calif., native was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 42nd round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft.
Crosby had a strong senior campaign, posting a .397 batting average which ranks ninth in the school’s single season history. The Cypress, Calif., native was a model of consistency, hitting .396 inside of conference play as well. He slugged a career-high four home runs and 47 RBI in 2009, connecting on his first career grand slam on March 24 at Oregon, and legging out his first career triple on February 28 at Cal Poly. He also made an appearance on the pitcher’s mound, throwing an inning on May 14 at home against Fresno State.
Before making the move to first base in 2009, Crosby spent his first two years at Sacramento State as the team’s everyday shortstop, where he committed just 13 errors in 90 starts. He finished his career as a .318 lifetime hitter, ranking ninth in school history in hits with 164 during his three seasons in the Green and Gold. Crosby transferred to Sacramento State as a sophomore, following a freshman season at BYU where he played third base and hit .322 with 23 RBI.
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David Flores
3B, Houston Astros, 18th |
David Flores (2005-08)
3B, Houston Astros, 18th Round
David Flores starts his second professional season with the Lancaster Jethawks of the High-A California League coming off a strong spring training stint, which saw him make a start for the Houston Astros in a game against the Atlanta Braves at third base.
Flores was an all-star for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Short-Season Class A New York-Penn League a season ago, hitting .266 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. Flores was the MVP of the NYP All-Star Game with the game winning double for the National League squad, while also participating in the league's home run derby (pictured right).
Flores was a four year starter for the Hornets at third base, collecting a career .314 batting average in the Green and Gold. Flores’ name dots the Sacramento State record books, as he is the school’s career leader in three categories, while ranking second in four categories. The Union City, Calif. native is the Hornets all-time leader in career at bats (719), doubles (57) and instances of being hit by a pitch (38), while ranking second in career hits (226), career runs (128), single-season doubles (26) and hits in a single game (5).
Flores saved his best year for his senior campaign, hitting .366 with 26 doubles, 8 home runs and 46 RBI, all of which marked career-highs.The 542nd selection in the 2008 draft started all 58 games in his senior season at third base.
A three-time all-Western Athletic Conference selection, Flores was a second team selection in 2006 and 2008, while being named to the first team in 2007. Flores was also a preseason all-WAC selection prior to the 2008 season.
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Gabe Jacobo
3B, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 10th |
Gabe Jacobo (2006-08)
3B, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 10th Round
Gabe Jacobo was the first of three Hornet players selected in the 2008 draft, and began his minor league career with the Orem Owlz of the Rookie Pioneer League by hitting a home run in his first at bat. He was called up to the Single A Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League midway through the season, where he starts the 2009 campaign.
He hit .327 for Orem in 36 games, hitting seven home runs and driving in 32 RBI. Jacobo continued his hot hitting in Iowa, hitting .320 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 34 games for Cedar Rapids.
Jacobo, the 319th overall selection, posted a .362 career average in three years in the Green and Gold, including a career-best .379 mark in 2008. The Tulare, Calif. native started 116 career games, including 56 games in 2007 and all 58 of the Hornets contests in 2008. He ranks fourth in Hornet history in career home runs with 29, while ranking third in career RBI with 111. His career batting average ranks eighth in school history, while he ranks fifth in career hits with 170.
During the 2008 season, Jacobo showed his versatility, starting 31 games in left field, 25 games at first base and two games at designated hitter. His 66 RBI rank as the second best single-season mark in school history, while his 15 home runs rank as the seventh most prolific mark in a season in the Hornet record book. He became just the third Hornet in the Division I era to post three home runs in a single game, after hitting round-trippers in each of his first three at bats at Louisiana Tech on April 3. He posted a .997 fielding percentage on the season, committing just one error, while stealing seven bases in 10 chances.
Jacobo was a preseason Brooks Wallace Watch candidate for National Player of the Year, as well as a preseason all-conference selection by Baseball America. He earned second team all-Western Athletic Conference honors as a utility player, his first career postseason award. Prior to the draft, he was ranked the 175th best draft eligible prospect by Baseball America.
After spending the 2007 summer season with the Anchorage Bucs, Jacobo was named to the Alaska Baseball League all-star team after hitting .286 with a team leading five home runs and 38 RBI while playing third base, the position in which he was drafted. He was ranked the fourth best prospect in the ABL in 2007 by Baseball America.
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Mitch Lively
RHP, Colorado Rockies, 16th |
Mitch Lively (2004-07)
RHP, Colorado Rockies, 16th Round
Mitch Lively started his third year of professional baseball at his highest level so far, the San Jose Giants of the High-A California League, and after a brief stint in Low-A Augusta, he was called up to the Double A Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League.
Lively was signed mid-season by the San Francisco Giants in 2008. He was called up from the Giants Rookie club in Arizona to the Single A Augusta Greenjackets of the South Atlantic League in August, and posted a 1-0 record with a 1.42 ERA, allowing two earned runs in 10 appearances. Prior to being picked up by the Giants, Lively was the closer for the independent San Angelo Colts of United League Baseball, posting four saves in 11 appearances.
The Susanville, Calif., native was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 16th round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft.
As a junior, Lively was Sacramento State's main closer, totaling eight saves in 25 appearances. His eight saves, four against WAC competiton, ties for fourth in the Hornet single season record book. Lively also made 61 appearances in his three seasons with Sacramento State, a mark that ties for sixth in program history.
He also was a member of the school's football team where he earned honorable mention all-Big Sky honors as a punter.
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Tim Wheeler
OF, Colorado Rockies, First Round
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Tim Wheeler (2007-09)
OF, Colorado Rockies, First Round
Tim Wheeler was the first of a pair of Hornets selected in the 2009 MLB Draft, after being selected in the first round with the 32nd pick by the Colorado Rockies. Wheeler became the program's highest draft pick is history, as no Hornet had ever been taken prior to round four. He begins his professional career with the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Class A Short-Season Northwest League.
Wheeler, a native of Sacramento, became the school’s first two-time first team all-Western Athletic Conference selection in 2009. The centerfielder hit .385 on the season with 18 home runs and 72 runs batted in, setting the school’s single season RBI record in the process. He also broke the school’s all-time RBI mark in just three seasons, boasting 142 in his career. Wheeler hit .457 on the season with runners in scoring position, and .451 with runners on base, while amassing 15 stolen bases and five outfield assists. Wheeler ranked in the top 30 nationally in six categories, with his highest ranking coming in RBI.
For his efforts, Wheeler was named All-American by four different publications, which included second team honors from both Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association. He was the first player to earn All-American honors for the Hornets since Harvey Hargrove earned third team honors in 1997.
A product of El Camino HS, Wheeler was a third team preseason All-American by Baseball America after being named to the Cape Cod League All-Star team in the summer of 2008. He was named team MVP for the Orleans Cardinals in the league after leading his team in hits and leading the league in stolen bases.
As a sophomore in 2008, Wheeler hit .330 with three home runs, 43 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. He tied for the longest hitting streak in the WAC on the season, hitting safely in 20 consecutive games while posting 17 multi-hit games. In 2007 as a freshman, Wheeler hit .310 with six home runs, improving his average to .352 inside of WAC play.
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