Inductees

In his first few games in the minor leagues, out in the Rookie ball town of Ogden, Utah, Blake DeWitt quickly realized the reality of the pros: Everybody was somebody back home, and failure would knock on the clubhouse door every day.

“There were guys who had better talent than me,” DeWitt said. “I decided I was going to have to work even harder. You’ve got to separate yourself somehow from all the other guys.”

DeWitt did just that, playing 10 seasons in pro baseball, including six in the big leagues (mostly with the Los Angeles Dodgers) as the infielder built on a record-setting career at Sikeston High School.

Now his base path has led to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which is proud to induct DeWitt with the Class of 2016.

As a shortstop for Sikeston High School, DeWitt led the program to three Class 3 state semifinal appearances in four years, a stretch in which the Bulldogs were 93-14. He also broke nine MSHSAA state records.

The rest of the nation got to know him after DeWitt, a first-round draft pick of the Dodgers in 2004, played in the big leagues from 2008-2013 – first with the Dodgers and then Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. In the majors, he hit .257 with 21 home runs, 53 doubles, 11 triples and had 135 RBI.

This for a player who credits so many for creating the path to the big time.

“Family was the inspiration for me,” said DeWitt, the son of Mike and Lynne DeWitt and husband to Lauren and dad to Rex. “From grandparents to parents and my sister (Jenni), they all helped by pushing me and helping me along. I had pretty big dreams even from a young age. They supported me the whole way.”

His story is one of perseverance, of chance, of playing on memorable teams. In 2008, DeWitt made the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, despite not receiving an invitation to big-league camp. However, the club summoned him from the Double-A field that March following injuries to others, and DeWitt seized on the exposure.

That season transformed his career. A third baseman in the minors, DeWitt was optioned down to Triple-A Las Vegas twice, the second time in late July for a crash course on how to play second base after the Dodgers’ Jeff Kent suffered a knee injury.

DeWitt rejoined L.A. by Labor Day weekend, helping the Dodgers win the National League West and reaching the NL Championship Series, where they were stopped by the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Even better, minor league coach Matt Martin and Dodgers coaches Mariano Duncan and Larry Bowa had turned DeWitt into a utility player, a valuable commodity. He split the 2010 between L.A. and the Chicago Cubs, playing for the Cubs two more seasons before retiring after 2013 with the Atlanta Braves.

For DeWitt, learning to embrace the grind of the minor leagues – and trying to enjoy the good times, such as the silly fines in so-called kangaroo court – was the secret to success.

“You never know when an opportunity is going to arrive,” DeWitt said.

He will forever be beloved in Sikeston. DeWitt played in 107 high school games – fourth-most in state history – and the most notable state career records he held were for hits (186), extra-base hits (92), RBI (162), runs scored (167) and consecutive pitching victories (27).

DeWitt also held the career record in at-bats (379), doubles (50) and total bases (349) and, defensively as an infielder, held the career record for assists (235). His senior year in 2004, DeWitt batted .558 with 15 home runs, 11 doubles and 48 RBI and, pitching-wise, owned a 1.50 ERA and struck out 72 batters in in 56 innings.

As a result, DeWitt was named to Baseball America magazine’s High School All-America team as well as the Class 3 All-State teams named by the Associated Press and the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. The Sikeston Standard Democrat newspaper named him its Player of the Year each of his final three years in high school.

But it wasn’t all him, DeWitt insists. Teammates in Sikeston greatly played a role in his play piquing the interest of scouts. Among them were senior classmates Jacob Priday and Lance Rhodes. “I was fortunate to play on great teams all four years,” DeWitt said.

All in all, what a career.

“I can honestly say I have zero regrets,” DeWitt said. “When I suffered my back injury, I accepted that I had done everything I could.”