Blaise Ilsley pitched well, made bigs as player, coach

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Blaise Ilsley 1989 Osceola Astros baseball card

On the cusp of finally making the majors in spring 1994, Blaise Ilsley turned in a bad enough outing to threaten his potential spot, The Chicago Tribune wrote.

But Chicago Cub brass kept him around and Ilsley kept going.

"I didn't worry about it too much," Ilsley told The Tribune of that outing. "I've played long enough to know that after a bad outing is when you show what you're made of. You just have to come back strong."

Ilsley did come back strong and he did make the major league debit - to start his 10th pro season. He ended up seeing 10 outings that year, the extent of his big league career. He later returned to the majors as a bullpen coach.

Ilsley's career began in 1985, taken by the Astros in the fourth round of the draft out of Indiana State University.

Ilsley started with the Astros at short-season Auburn, where he went 9-1,  with a 1.40 ERA. He moved to single-A Asheville and Osceola in 1986 and went 20-6 on the year, with a 1.87 ERA.

With Asheville in May 1986, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before surrendering a home run, The Asheville Times wrote.

"You won't see a better pitched game in this league all season," Asheville manager Ken Bolek told The Times. "He was strong out there, looked real good."

Ilsley moved to AA Columbus for 1987 and 1988. He then saw Columbus and AAA Tucson in 1989 and 1990. He spent all of 1991 at Tucson. He went 8-6 over 46 outings, four starts at Tucson in 1991.

He then moved to the Cardinals system and AAA Louisville for 1992, and the Cubs and AAA Iowa for 1993.

In 1994, he made Chicago. He saw 10 relief outings and had a 7.80 ERA.

Ilsley then returned to the minors. He played at AAA with the Phillies in 1995, then AAA between the Phillies and Expos in 1996 and at AAA Buffalo with the Indians in 1997. Ilsley last played with independent Fargo-Moorhead in 1998.

He then started a coaching career. He coached at independent Winnipeg and Sioux Falls, then wit the Orioles at rookie Bluefield. In 2002, he joined the Cardinals at AA New Haven. 

In 2013, Ilsley returned to the majors with the Cardinals as bullpen coach. He stayed through 2017. In 2015, Illsley received praise from Cardinals pitching coach Derek Lilliquist for keeping relievers ready, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"Blaise is very important," Lilliquist told The Post-Dispatch. He's real smart with delivery adjustment mechanics and really good at dissecting video on hitters."

Blaise Ilsley 1989 Osceola Astros baseball card


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:4,554
Made the Majors:1,438-31.6%-X
Never Made Majors:3,116-68.4%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:584
10+ Seasons in the Minors:359

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