Oakland Athletics: Four September Call-Ups Who Have Impressed Thus Far

3. Carson Blair (C)

Sep 18, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Carson Blair (39) gets a single during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Blair’s bat may be quiet since being called up the Major Leagues, but he has stepped up to the plate in a big way. With both regular season catchers Stephen Vogt and Josh Phegley injured and unable to field behind the plate, Blair has become the A’s go-to platoon catcher with Bryan Anderson. This has been a valuable time for Blair to prove that he can play at the Major League level.

Unfortunately for him, he has not had great luck at the plate. He is only batting .120 over nine games. On the upside, he did hit his first Major League home run on September 13. But, this is a very small sample size and Blair has never played in the Majors before being called up on September 1 and had only been brought up to Triple-A from Double-A on July 1. It is expected that there will be a slight learning curve since he has moved up through the Minors and into the Majors so quickly.  

With the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate the Nashville Sounds, Blair batted .252 with a .785 OPS. While withe the Midland RockHounds, Oakland’s Double-A team, he was named Texas League Player of the Week when he batted .350 from May 25-31, which included three doubles and two triples for a total of five extra-base hits. Additionally, he is a great defensive catcher. Over his entire minor league career, Blair has a .987 fielding percentage. Blair may need a little time to adjust to the level of play in the big leagues, but so far, he has done an adequate job filling in for both Vogt and Phegley.

Next: Utility Man Tyler Ladendorf