Jabari Blash
| AB | 274 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .186 |
| OBP | .306 |
| SLG | .307 |
| HR | 8 |
- Full name Jabari Jerell Blash
- Born 07/04/1989 in St. Thomas, VI
- Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Miami Dade CC
- Debut 04/04/2016
-
Drafted in the 8th round (252nd overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2010 (signed for $140,000).
View Draft Report
Blash, the Rangers' unsigned ninth-rounder a year ago, turned down $250,000 to come back to Miami-Dade and was having a solid season, hitting .341. Despite his raw power, though, he had only one home run. Blash has a premium arm and runs well for his size. However, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Blash was kicked off the Miami-Dade team in April, and as a fourth-year sophomore with big but raw tools and little chance of continuing his college career, he won't approach the money he turned down last year.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
-
Blash's road to a breakout season in 2015 was long and bumpy. He signed with the Mariners for $180,000 as an eighth-round pick in 2010 after getting kicked off the baseball team at Miami-Dade JC. A raw player with more tools than production, Blash appeared to be on the rise after hitting 25 home runs between high Class A and Double-A in 2013, only to be suspended 50 games the following season for testing positive for a drug of abuse. He was left off the 40-man roster and passed through the Rule 5 draft before finally reaching his power potential in 2015. Blash tied fellow Mariners farmhand Tyler O'Neill for second in the minors with 32 home runs while splitting the season between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma. He sprained his knee late in the season, likely costing him a big league callup and preventing him from playing winter ball. The Mariners again left him off the 40-man roster, which made him available in the Rule 5 draft. Blash looks the part of a big leaguer, with an athletic build and strong frame. He has tremendous bat speed that leads to light-tower home runs when he connects. He's an aggressive hitter who can cover a lot of the plate but still expands the strike zone and chases pitches. He's athletic and runs well, with a strong arm that plays in right field. He should get a crack at the big league roster in spring training. -
Despite playing little baseball while growing up in the Virgin Islands, Blash was drafted three times as an amateur, first by the White Sox out of high school in 2007. Following a year at Alcorn State, where he was ineligible, he was drafted in each of his years at Miami-Dade CC, finally signing with the Mariners for $140,000 as a 2010 eight-rounder after being kicked off the junior-college team in mid-April. Scouts can dream on Blash because he has an athletic build--he draws comparisons with Eric Davis--along with plenty of tools. He has big-time power potential, runs well and has a plus arm, though at times his throws lack accuracy. However, Blash has yet to have his production match his tools. He's streaky at the plate, has a hole in his swing middle-in and gets caught cheating on fastballs by savvy pitchers. The Mariners have been patient with Blash because athletic righthanded power hitters are hard to find. He likely will begin 2014 back at Double-A Jackson, where ended 2013. Left off the 40-man roster, Blash has profile right fielder upside but remains raw more than 1,200 at-bats into his pro career. -
A native of the Virgin Islands, Blash didn't sign out of high school as a 29th-round pick of the White Sox in 2007, instead choosing to attend Alcorn State. Ruled academically ineligible in 2008, he transferred to Miami Dade JC the following season and was drafted in the ninth round by the Rangers, but again turned down pro ball. He returned to the Sharks but was kicked off the team in April 2010 before signing that July for $140,000 as an eighth-rounder. There's nothing subtle about Blash's game. His chiseled physique would stand out in a big league clubhouse and his tools can be just as loud. He is still raw and streaky, however. On some nights he'll look like a future all-star, and on others he'll look like he won't make it to Triple-A. The biggest question is how much he'll hit. Blash has excess movement in his set-up and questionable pitch recognition. He struck out in 34 percent of his at-bats last year while repeating low Class A, though he did show more patience than he had in the past. When Blash does make contact, the ball goes a long way. He shows plus-plus raw power in batting practice. His defense and speed both improved in 2012, when he saw action in center field. Right field is his natural position, however, because he's an average runner with a plus arm. He'll spend 2013 in high Class A. -
Blash took a winding route to pro ball. The White Sox drafted the Virgin Islands native out of high school in 2007 in the 29th round, but he turned them down to attend Alcorn State. Academically ineligible in 2008, he transferred to Miami Dade JC for the following season and emerged as one of Florida's top juco talents. The Rangers selected him in the ninth round of the 2009 draft but he again didn't sign, and his 2010 season ended early when he was kicked off the team in April. The Mariners took him in the eighth round two months later and he finally signed for $140,000. Blash stands out immediately for his chiseled physique, and one Northwest League manager compared him to a stronger version of Eric Davis last summer. Blash's strength shows up at the plate, as he led the NWL in extra-base hits (30) and slugging (.574) after faltering in the first half in the Midwest League. His swing gets too long at times and he has some holes on the outer half of the plate, so he may not hit for a high average. Blash is still raw for a 22-year-old. He has a good eye at the plate but can be too passive and gets himself into a lot of two-strike counts. His prospect status hinges solely on his bat, because he's a fringy runner and left fielder with an average arm. He gets careless at times with his defense. How Blash handles his second shot at low Class A in 2012 will tell a great deal about his future.
Minor League Top Prospects
-
Blash struggled in low Class A at the start of the season but had more success in Everett, leading the league in extra-base hits (30) and slugging (.574). He stands out immediately for his chiseled physique--Murphy said he looked like a stronger version of former all-star Eric Davis--and his power. "He split a bat down the middle, from the end down to the handle, and hit a ball over our left fielder's head that hit the bottom of the wall," Hulett said. "In the next at-bat, he hit a home run in which he broke his bat. He is some kind of strong." Blash's swing gets too long at times and he has some holes on the outer half of the plate, so he may not hit for a high average. He also can be too passive and gets himself into a lot of two-strike counts. An average runner once he gets going, he fits best in right field with his plus arm.
