MESA, Ariz. – Baseball in the spring is often a game of comparisons. In seeing players for the first time, it’s routine to hear the question, “who does he remind you of?”
In describing Antioch product Paul Blackburn, A’s manager Bob Melvin said the one-time Heritage High star reminded him of Kyle Hendricks.
Hendricks won a World Series ring and the National League ERA title last year for the Cubs at 2.13, so there are far worse comparisons to evoke.
East Bay by birth but a San Francisco Giants’ fan while growing up, Blackburn first modeled himself after Jason Schmidt of the Giants.