Infielder, Ex-Angels Farmhand Andy Blake Signed by Wild Things
WASHINGTON, Pa. (March 4) – The Washington Wild Things have signed infielder and ex-Angels farmhand Andy Blake to the offseason roster, making the 24-year old New Jersey native the newest Wild Thing.
Blake, who played his collegiate baseball at Columbia, spent the 2023 and 2024 summers in the Los Angeles Angels farm system, reaching as high as Triple-A Salt Lake. A 6’4’’ infielder, Blake has played all four infield positions in pro ball, with 38 games, the most of his defensive games, at third base. He played 23 at shortstop, which was his primary position in college.
In 2024, Blake split time between Triple-A Salt Lake (13 games) and the Tri-City Dust Devils (High-A) in the Angels system. With Tri-City, he appeared in 53 games and had 15 RBI and nine stolen bases. With Salt Lake in the aforementioned 13 games, he hit two homers and drove in seven in 50 plate appearances to go along with eight runs scored.
The 2023 season saw him split his time between rookie ball and Tri-City. In rookie ball for the ACL Angels, he played in six games and was 7-for-22 at the dish with a homer, a double and eight RBI. In 19 games for the Dust Devils, Blake belted three home runs, drove in 10 and had an OBP of .325.
Following his release from the Angels organization in July of 2024, Blake played in 25 games for Trenton in the MLB Draft League and slashed .253/.339/.396 with 19 runs, three doubles, two triples, two home runs and 15 RBI in 109 plate appearances. At Columbia around missing a season due to injury, Blake appeared in 99 games and slashed .322/.390/.587 with 32 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 89 RBI. His best season at Columbia came in 2023, a season that saw him win Ivy League Player of the Year honors and a first-team All-Ivy selection. He reached base in every game and recorded a hit in all but five games, while he posted 20 multi-hit performances. He led Ivy League hitters in seven offensive categories, including batting average (.366), hits (75) and runs (53), and he set the program’s single season record for hits and tied the Ivy League record with 75.
He was one of the 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation’s top shortstop and was No. 30 on D1 Baseball’s Week 12 Top 50 Shortstops List. A 2018 graduate of Hopewell Valley Central High School (NJ), Blake completed a year at the Hun School of Princeton in 2019. He was a four-year letterwinner in high school and named first team All-Prep and All-MAPL Prep after hitting .516 with three home runs and 23 RBI with the Hun School. At Hopewell Valley Central High School, he was two-time All-Area Hitter of the Year, an All-State selection and two-time All-County first teamer.
Aside from Blake’s signing, the Wild Things announced a trade yesterday that was made official over the weekend by the league that sent utilityman Daniel Harris IV to the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League for future considerations. A full current offseason roster of players signed to the team or under contract with the team is available on the team website, with more to be announced over the coming weeks prior to camp beginning April 24.
The Wild Things open their season on the road Friday, May 9, and the home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 at 7:05 p.m. Season tickets, group packages and premium areas are available now by calling 866-456-WILD or by going to washingtonwildthings.com. Fans can also follow the team’s social media pages and site for news, including on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and YouTube. Search @WashWildThings, go to youtube.com/@WashWildThings or go to facebook.com/washingtonwildthings.
