Kyle Blanks
Encyclopedia
Kyle Nathaniel Blanks is a Major League Baseball
(MLB) player for the San Diego Padres
.
where he was a stand-out for the Moriarty High Pintos. Blanks attended Yavapai College
.
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. 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, . He played left field for the Padres after only 15 games in the outfield for Portland
. He hit 10 home run
s in 148 at bats in his first MLB season as he continued to be the Padres' highest-rated prospect. He hit only .150 in his first 40 at-bats, but finished with 10 homers with a .287 average. His season ended on August 28 with a case of plantar fasciitis
.
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. Blanks began the 2010 season
as the Padres cleanup hitter
behind Adrian Gonzalez
. Blanks' season ended as he underwent elbow reconstruction surgery. He finished batting only .157 with three homers, 15 RBI and an alarming 46 strikeouts in 102 at-bats. 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.
Blanks started 2011
on the disabled list
. He played 78 games at Double-A San Antonio
and Triple-A Tucson, hitting a combined .312 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI. He was promoted to San Diego and Anthony Rizzo
was sent down to Tucson on July 22. He finished the season hitting .229 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 170 at bats. 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.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
(MLB) player for the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
.
Early life
Blanks grew up in Moriarty, New MexicoMoriarty, New Mexico
Moriarty is a city in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,910 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Moriarty is located at ....
where he was a stand-out for the Moriarty High Pintos. Blanks attended Yavapai College
Yavapai College
Yavapai College is a community college located in Yavapai County, Arizona. The main Campus is in Prescott, with locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and Sedona.-History:...
.
Professional career
Blanks was selected by San Diego PadresSan Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
in the 42nd round (1241st overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft
2004 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
. He was the Padres' Minor League Player of the Year in 2008. A first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, he started playing in the outfield
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in April 2009. He was called up to the majors for the first time after only 66 Triple-A games when Cliff Floyd
Cliff Floyd
Cornelius Clifford Floyd, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early years:Floyd was born to parents Cornelius Clifford Floyd, Sr. and Olivia Floyd. After spending 13 years as an only child, Floyd was joined by brother Julius...
was placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
on June 19, . He played left field for the Padres after only 15 games in the outfield for Portland
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
. He hit 10 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in 148 at bats in his first MLB season as he continued to be the Padres' highest-rated prospect. He hit only .150 in his first 40 at-bats, but finished with 10 homers with a .287 average. His season ended on August 28 with a case of plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia, the connective tissue on the sole of the foot.Longstanding cases of plantar fasciitis often demonstrate more degenerative changes than inflammatory changes, in which case they are termed plantar fasciosis. The suffix...
.
During the offseason, the Padres traded away third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent.Kouzmanoff had trouble with various sports in high school. He got special help for batting practice, just to learn how to swing a bat for three years, implementing a swing...
in order to move Chase Headley
Chase Headley
Chase Jordan Headley is a major league baseball player currently playing for the San Diego Padres. He plays third base, and formerly played left field. He is a switch-hitter...
to the infield
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
to open a position for Blanks in left field. Blanks began the 2010 season
2010 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres' 2010 season is their 42nd season in MLB. On August 27, the Padres had a 6.5 game lead over 2nd-place San Francisco, and wound up missing the playoffs as the Giants passed them in September.-Regular season:...
as the Padres cleanup hitter
Cleanup hitter
In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Although the third man up is generally the hitter with the highest batting average, cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best power hitter; their job is to "clean up the...
behind Adrian Gonzalez
Adrián González
Adrian Gonzalez is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins. He was traded to the Texas Rangers, and later to the San Diego Padres, where he...
. Blanks' season ended as he underwent elbow reconstruction surgery. He finished batting only .157 with three homers, 15 RBI and an alarming 46 strikeouts in 102 at-bats. After Gonzalez was traded in the offseason, Padres General Manager Jed Hoyer expected either newly-acquired Anthony Rizzo
Anthony Rizzo (baseball)
Anthony Rizzo is an American professional baseball first baseman for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball...
or Blanks to eventually be the Padres starting first baseman.
Blanks started 2011
2011 San Diego Padres season
The San Diego Padres' 2011 season was their 43rd season in MLB.-2010-2011 Offseason:Adrian Gonzalez would have been in the last year of his contract in 2011, but the Padres were not going to meet Gonzalez’s open market value especially with Jeff Moorad’s purchase of the Padres from John Moores not...
on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. He played 78 games at Double-A San Antonio
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres major-league club. The Missions play in Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, located in San Antonio...
and Triple-A Tucson, hitting a combined .312 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI. He was promoted to San Diego and Anthony Rizzo
Anthony Rizzo (baseball)
Anthony Rizzo is an American professional baseball first baseman for the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball...
was sent down to Tucson on July 22. He finished the season hitting .229 with seven home runs and 26 RBI in 170 at bats. Hoyer believed Rizzo would be the starting first baseman for the Padres in 2012. The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
projected Jesús Guzmán
Jesús Guzmán
Jesús Antonio Guzmán is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball.-Professional career:Guzmán was signed by the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
and Blanks as options for left field.
Awards/Honors
| 2005 | Arizona Fall League Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes... Post-Season All-Star |
| 2006 | Midwest League Midwest League The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort... Mid-Season All-Star |
| 2007 | California League California League The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth... Player of the Week |
| 2007 | California League Mid-Season All-Star |
| 2007 | California League Post-Season All-Star |
| 2007 | Baseball America Baseball America Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a... High Class A All-Star |
| 2008 | Texas League Texas League The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892... Mid-Season All-Star |
| 2008 | Texas League Post-Season All-Star |
| 2008 | Texas League Player of the Week |
| 2008 | Baseball America Baseball America Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a... Double-A All-Star |