News
Blake DeWitt Handling Hot Corner
Kyle Galdeira
05/16/08
As the Los Angeles Dodgers wait for its veterans to come
around at the plate, former North Shore Honu infielder Blake DeWitt’s
impressive rookie debut is bolstering the Blue and White.
DeWitt was added to the starting lineup for the Dodgers’
home opener on March 31 after injuries suffered by fellow third basemen Nomar
Garciaparra, Andy LaRoche and Tony Abreu opened a hole at the hot corner. He
has yet to relinquish his starting role.
A member of the 2006 Honu squad, DeWitt went 1-2 in his
first Major League game, including a single in his first at-bat, with a run and
two walks to help the Dodgers blank San
Francisco, 5-0, at Dodger stadium. Through 34 games,
DeWitt owns a .320 batting average along with a .397 on-base percentage and
racked up five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 19 RBIs.
In 2007, DeWitt split time between High-A Inland Empire and
Double-A Jacksonville, and hit a combined .292 batting average to go along with
42 doubles, 14 home runs, and 66 RBIs.
DeWitt, a native of Sikeston,
Missouri, is the fifth regular
starting third baseman for the Dodgers in as many seasons, following Adrian
Beltre, Jose Valentin, Bill Mueller and Wilson Betemit, according to Ken
Gurnick of MLB.com.
The 22-year-old DeWitt will most likely return to the minors
as soon as one of his teammates gets healthy, but the 2004 first-round draft
pick should continue to see significant action until that time.
Hawaii Winter Baseball is an organized
professional baseball league sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB). It
provides a setting for top young professional ball players to play against
top-notch U.S. and
international competition to accelerate U.S. player progress through their
respective major league farm systems, and to give top young Asian players
opportunities for international competition. The HWB league returns for its
eighth season in late September of 2008, and will feature games at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Les Murakami Stadium and Waipahu’s Hans
L’Orange Park. Stay tuned for upcoming community events, clinics and
festivities…Catch the Dream!
