Blair Matthew Calvo (born February 27, 1996) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

in the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

Career

Calvo played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

Eastern Florida State College Eastern Florida State College (EFSC) is a public college based in Cocoa, Florida. It is a member of the Florida College System and has additional campuses in Melbourne, Florida, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Florida, Palm Bay, and Titusville, Florida, Ti ...

Flagler College Flagler College is a private university, private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. The school was founded in 1968 and offers 37 undergraduate majors and two master's programs. It also had a Flagler College – Tallahassee Campus, ...

, and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 31st round of the

2016 Major League Baseball Draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

, but did not sign. He underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

in 2017, and missed the entire season.

Colorado Rockies

After his senior season at

Calvo was drafted by the

in the 23rd round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft and signed. He made his professional debut that year with the rookie-level

Grand Junction Rockies The Grand Junction Jackalopes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and play their home games ...

. Calvo did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He returned to action in 2021 with the Single-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, making 33 appearances and logging a 4.54 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 2 saves in innings pitched. In a May 31, 2022, outing against the Reading Fightin Phils, Calvo was visited on the mound by catcher Willie MacIver, manager Chris Denorfia, and athletic trainer Kelsey Branstetter after he was visibly in distress and unable to catch his breath. He was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with

ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a cardiovascular disorder in which fast heart rate occurs in the ventricles of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple ...

. He spent the majority of the 2022 season with the Double-A

Hartford Yard Goats The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team was founded in 2016 when the New Britain Ro ...

, also making two appearances for the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rockies. In 29 appearances for Hartford, Calvo registered a 3.09 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 35.0 innings pitched. On November 15, 2022, the Rockies added Calvo to their 40-man roster to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Calvo was optioned to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

to begin the 2023 season. In 20 appearances, he struggled to an 8.50 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 3 saves in 18.0 innings pitched. On May 30, 2023, Calvo was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the following day against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, pitching a scoreless eighth inning on only eleven pitches. Calvo was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Rockies on June 15, following the promotion of

Jorge Alfaro Jorge Mario Alfaro Buelvas (born June 11, 1993) is a Colombian professional baseball catcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins, San Diego ...

Detroit Tigers

On June 18, 2023, Calvo was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations, and was optioned to the Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. On September 3, Calvo was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Toledo. In 29 total appearances for Toledo, he compiled a 6.95 ERA with 36 strikeouts across innings pitched. Calvo was assigned to the Double–A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

to begin the 2024 season, compiling a 9.00 ERA across three appearances. On May 24, 2024, it was announced that Calvo would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a labrum tear in his right shoulder.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvo, Blair 1996 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players 21st-century American sportsmen Arizona Complex League Rockies players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Colorado Rockies players EFSC Titans baseball players Erie SeaWolves players Flagler Saints baseball players Florida Complex League Tigers players Fresno Grizzlies players Grand Junction Rockies players Hartford Yard Goats players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Panthers baseball players Salt River Rafters players Toledo Mud Hens players