Blake DeWitt stepped into the batter’s box, waiting for the 2-2 pitch. The rookie Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman had just fouled a ball off his right foot, but the pain wasn’t running through his mind as he dug in against Reds reliever David Weathers - 16 years his senior.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, all the fans and players eyes were on the youngest Dodger. But the 22-year-old waited calmly for the pitch: a fastball low and away. DeWitt swung, laced the ball through the left side of the infield and sent catcher Russell Martin trotting home for a walk-off 6-5 Dodger victory over the streaking Cincinnati Reds.

Fans cheered, players rushed the field, but it wasn’t as if everyone was shocked. DeWitt has come through in clutch situations all year, and, only 37 games into his professional career, he has become a rock at third base Dodger fans, players and management depend on when it matters most.

The game-winning single made the third baseman 6-6 with the bases loaded this season and gave the young slugger 16 RBIs in his last 17 games. It also brought his average up to .379 when hitting with runners in scoring position.

Not bad for a player who was turned to as a last resort at the beginning of the season.

Coming into the 2008 campaign, the Dodgers planned on splitting time at the hot corner between their highly-touted prospect Andy LaRoche and fading star Nomar Garciaparra. However, when spring training closed, the two Dodgers players had succumbed to injury, and the Dodgers found themselves in a bind.

With nowhere else to turn outside the organization, manager Joe Torre called upon DeWitt to fill in until his players returned to the lineup. Having never played above AA ball in the Dodger’s farm system, it was a tall task the young lefty was facing, but in his debut in a Dodger uniform, DeWitt singled in his first major league at bat, and he hasn’t looked back.

The rookie went 5-9 in his team’s opening series against the Giants, and since that time, he has provided the Dodgers with another solid bat in the lineup. Currently, he’s hitting .322 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. DeWitt is also second on the team in slugging percentage (.513) and third on the team in on-base percentage (.391).

He is one of the main reasons the Dodgers find themselves in second place in the N.L. West at 23-21 and only five games behind the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite the team’s inconsistent pitching, numerous injuries and lack of a true power bat - it’s no secret the signing of Andruw Jones hasn’t panned out so well - the team still finds itself above .500 and in a great position to make a run as May is coming to a close. Without DeWitt’s production, the team would likely not be in this situation.

According to MLB.com, Torre said DeWitt has been nothing short of “a godsend.”

Not bad for a player who wasn’t even in the picture when players reported to camp in early March.

But success for DeWitt isn’t a shocker for anyone who has followed his young career. He batted .588 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs during his senior season at Sikeston High School, Missouri. The Dodgers drafted the first team All-American in the first round of the 2004 MLB draft. After compiling solid numbers in his first two professional seasons in the minors, Dodger management promoted DeWitt to the AA Jacksonville Suns for the second half of the 2007 season.

DeWitt has continued his professional success at the big league level, and it remains to be seen how the Dodgers are going to handle their third base situation once all of their players return to the field. As for now, one thing is certain.

This kid can hit, and he doesn’t plan on going anywhere.

Photo by wikipedia 

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