Blake Cyr has always played with passion, but this season, it means more. After two strong years at Miami, he transferred to Florida, a move fueled by opportunity and personal loss. His father passed away last February, and now, every game is for him. As Cyr steps into his junior season, he’s not just a new face in Gainesville, Florida, but a player to watch in the Southeastern Conference.
“My dad was a huge Florida fan, so I knew it would mean a whole lot to him to see me in a Florida uniform,” Cyr said. “My family all ended up moving back to Orlando, where I am originally from. For them to come from Orlando to Gainesville is much closer.
“I’m playing for something much bigger than myself. You’re always playing for something bigger than yourself in competing for a national championship with your teammates. But now I have my dad on my shoulder. Every step of the way I’m doing it for him.”
Cyr hit .298 with 34 home runs in 295 at-bats over two seasons at Miami, a level of production that has put him firmly on scouts’ radars. His blend of power, skill and upside has drawn attention. With an important junior year ahead, evaluators are eager to see how he performs. Many project him as a likely early-round pick in July’s MLB draft.
He had draft interest coming out of Windermere (Fla.) High School, but he decided college was the best path for his development. Looking back, he’s confident it was the right choice and has positioned him well for the next level.
“Every kid out of high school wants to get drafted,” Cyr said. “They’re lying to you if they say they don’t. I was one of those kids too, but I am so happy I went to college for the development aspect of it. I would advise every high school hitter to go to college because you get those three years of development and SEC pitching, that is the closest thing to pro ball you are going to get instead of the huge jump from high school to pro ball.”
Cyr is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound outfielder who uses a quick, compact swing to consistently square up the baseball and drive it to all parts of the field with authority. Scouts rave about his offensive toolset and ability to thrive against quality pitching.
One area Cyr has focused on improving is his plate discipline. Over his first two seasons, he struck out 97 times in 85 games, a number he wants to improve. He feels his approach at the plate has matured, crediting Florida’s coaching staff for helping him make key adjustments.
“When I came into Florida, my two-strike approach is something we worked on,” he said. “That is something I want to continue to improve on. My bat-to-ball skills, pitch selection and swing decisions are really good. I just want to get comfortable with two strikes.”
Defensively, Cyr played shortstop in high school. In college, he played second base as a freshman and then started at left field last year before his season ended prematurely due to injury at Miami. He is a quality athlete with respectable arm strength. This spring, Cyr is Florida’s starting left fielder.
Throughout his college career, Cyr has gained experience playing various positions, which he believes will ultimately benefit him moving forward.
“I just want to hit,” Cyr said. “You can put me at shortstop, second base, center, right, left, I don’t care. I’m super comfortable all over the field now. I don’t mind anywhere. I just want to hit.”
Cyr’s top goal, beyond his development in college, is to reach the College World Series and win a national championship. At Florida, he’s in an ideal position to achieve that. The Gators have made back-to-back College World Series appearances and remain one of the premier programs in college baseball.
“This is a winning program,” Cyr said. “I want to go win a national championship at Florida. That is why I came here.”
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for 10 years. He has interviewed 580 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
