Kyle Blanks
| Kyle Blanks | |
|---|---|
 Hitting his 6th career HR on 8/3/09 for the Padres |
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| San Diego Padres – No. 88 | |
| First baseman/Outfielder | |
| Born: September 11, 1986 Sellersville, Pennsylvania |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 19, 2009 for the San Diego Padres | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
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| Batting Average | .219 |
| Home runs | 20 |
| Runs batted in | 63 |
| Teams | |
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Kyle Nathaniel Blanks (born September 11, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman with the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball.
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[edit] Early life
Blanks was born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania and grew up in Moriarty, New Mexico where he was a stand-out for the Moriarty High Pintos. Blanks attended Yavapai College.
[edit] Professional career
Blanks was selected by San Diego Padres in the 42nd round (1241st overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the Padres' Minor League Player of the Year in 2008. A first baseman, he started playing in the outfield in April 2009.[1] He was called up to the majors for the first time after only 66 Triple-A games when Cliff Floyd was placed on the disabled list on June 19, 2009.[1][2] He played left field for the Padres after only 15 games in the outfield for Portland.[1][2] He hit 10 home runs in 148 at bats in his first MLB season as he continued to be the Padres' highest-rated prospect.[2][3] He hit only .150 in his first 40 at-bats, but finished with 10 homers with a .287 average.[4] His season ended on August 28 with a case of plantar fasciitis.[2]
During the offseason, the Padres traded away third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff in order to move Chase Headley to the infield to open a position for Blanks in left field.[2] Blanks began the 2010 season as the Padres cleanup hitter behind Adrian Gonzalez.[5] Blanks' season ended as he underwent elbow reconstruction surgery.[6] He finished batting only .157 with three homers, 15 RBI and an alarming 46 strikeouts in 102 at-bats.[5] After Gonzalez was traded in the offseason, Padres General Manager Jed Hoyer expected either newly-acquired Anthony Rizzo or Blanks to eventually be the Padres starting first baseman.[7]
Blanks started 2011 on the disabled list.[8][9] He played 78 games at Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tucson, hitting a combined .312 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI.[10] He was promoted to San Diego and Anthony Rizzo was sent down to Tucson on July 22.[9] He finished the season hitting .229 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 170 at bats.[11] Hoyer believed Rizzo would be the starting first baseman for the Padres in 2012. The San Diego Union-Tribune projected Jesús Guzmán and Blanks as options for left field.[12]
[edit] Awards/Honors
| 2005 | Arizona Fall League Post-Season All-Star |
| 2006 | Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star |
| 2007 | California League Player of the Week |
| 2007 | California League Mid-Season All-Star |
| 2007 | California League Post-Season All-Star |
| 2007 | Baseball America High Class A All-Star |
| 2008 | Texas League Mid-Season All-Star |
| 2008 | Texas League Post-Season All-Star |
| 2008 | Texas League Player of the Week |
| 2008 | Baseball America Double-A All-Star |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Brock, Corey (2009-06-19). "Blanks promoted in flurry of moves". MLB.com. http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090619&content_id=5414048&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Time (February 13, 2010). "Padres’ Blanks leaner, keener". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62CXIe01p.
- ^ Jenkins, Chris (August 28, 2009). "As Blanks limps, Pads light it up". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62CXBB372.
- ^ Center, Bill (August 19, 2011). "Blanks keeps up hot pace in Padres victory". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62CbQ4NEr.
- ^ a b Center, Bill (February 13, 2011). "Slimmer Blanks reports early, focused on rehab". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/628gPQh71.
- ^ Jenkins, Chris (July 28, 2010). "Blanks needs surgery on bad elbow". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62CYmOd5w.
- ^ Center, Bill (December 23, 2010). "Who's on first? Padres close to signing Hawpe". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5wVIQZriX.
- ^ Center, Bill (March 20, 2011). "Padres acquire reliever Neshek from Twins, option Durango, Deduno". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62CYTEx0Z.
- ^ a b Norcross, Don (July 21, 2011). "Rizzo demoted after Padres finish Florida sweep". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/60NA2BvMY.
- ^ Norcross, Don (July 21, 2011). "Maybin puts on a show for Marlins". The San Diego Union-Tribune. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jul/21/maybin-puts-show-marlins/. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ "Kyle Blanks Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/blankky01.shtml. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ Center, Bill (September 30, 2011). "Padres look to upgrade corner outfield spots, bullpen and bench for 2012". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62811PeDB.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- MiLB.com player profile
