Blake Swihart

Blake Aubry Swihart (born April 3, 1992) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played MLB for the Boston Red Sox from 2015 to 2019. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg), he throws right-handed and is a switch hitter.\n', ' Swihart attended V. Sue Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where he competed in basketball, baseball, and football. Playing mainly as a shortstop, he had a .602 batting average (56-for-93) with 17 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 41 runs batted in (RBIs) and 58 runs scored in 28 games as a senior. As a pitcher, Swihart\'s fastball could reach 85 miles per hour (137 km/h) before he began high school, and was up to 98 miles per hour (158 km/h) by the time he was a junior. However, it was during his junior season that Swihart quit pitching because he preferred to hit, and it was also during his junior season when Swihart first began playing catcher.\n', 'In 2009 Blake attended Rio Rancho High School where he helped the Rio Rancho Rams win a State Championship. Blake played under longtime head coach Ron Murphy.\n', 'Blake played for the Rams two seasons before Sue Cleveland was built and then attended his new school as he lived in the new boundaries. Even though Blake was only a freshmen and Sophomore at Rio Rancho HS he started every game for the Rams playing multiple positions and was always one of their leading hitters. \n', ' Swihart played for USA Baseball\'s 18-Under National Team in 2010 and led his team with a .448 average, earning Louisville Slugger All-American honors. For Team USA, Swihart played first base and left field. He played in the 2010 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic. Off of the baseball field, Swihart had a 4.0 GPA. He committed to attend the University of Texas at Austin on a college baseball scholarship. His best friend is Alex Bregman, who plays for the Houston Astros, with whom he grew up playing travel ball.\n', '