Kyle Nathaniel Blanks (born September 11, 1986) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

, and Texas Rangers. Blanks wore the unusual

uniform number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to id ...

88 throughout his MLB career. Listed at and , he batted and threw right-handed.

Early life

Blanks was born in

Souderton, Pennsylvania Souderton is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,246 in 2022 according to thCensus Bureau Souderton formerly hosted the end of the annual Bucks County Classic, a professional ...

and grew up in

Moriarty, New Mexico Moriarty is a city in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,946 at the 2020 Census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. Moriarty is about ten miles east of Edgewood, New Mexico, and shares ...

where he was a stand-out for the Moriarty High Pintos. Blanks attended

Yavapai College Yavapai College is a public community college in Yavapai County, Arizona. The main campus is in Prescott, with locations in Clarkdale, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and Sedona. History Yavapai College was established in 1965 by means of a ...

Professional career

San Diego Padres

Blanks was selected by

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. Though he was a standout

, he started playing in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

in April 2009. He was called up to the majors for the first time after only 66 Triple-A games when

Cliff Floyd Cornelius Clifford Floyd Jr. (born December 5, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for 17 seasons, most notably for the Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins and New York Mets. He is currently a baseball analyst wh ...

was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on June 19, . He played

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering syst ...

for the Padres after only 15 games in the outfield for

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

. He hit 10

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s in 148

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

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 or plantar heel pain is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that supports the Arches of the foot, arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and Sole (foot), bottom of the foot that is usuall ...

. During the offseason, the Padres traded away third baseman

Kevin Kouzmanoff Kevin Kouzmanoff (born July 25, 1981) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers (baseball ...

in order to move Chase Headley to the

infield Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used. Baseball In baseball, the baseball field, diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, ...

to open a position for Blanks in left field. Blanks began the 2010 season as the Padres

cleanup hitter In baseball, a cleanup hitter is the fourth hitter in the batting order. The cleanup hitter is traditionally the team's most powerful hitter. His job is to "clean up the bases", that is, drive in base runners. Theory The thinking behind the ...

behind

Adrián González Adrián González Savín (born May 8, 1982), also known by his nicknames "A-Gon" and "Titán", is a Mexican-American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, ...

. Blanks' season ended in May with an elbow that required reconstructive surgery. He finished batting only .157 with three homers, 15 RBI and an alarming 46 strikeouts in 102 at-bats. After González was traded in the offseason, Padres General Manager

Jed Hoyer Jed Hoyer (born December 7, 1973) is an American sports executive who is the president of baseball operations of the Chicago Cubs. He has been the general manager of the San Diego Padres and the assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox. E ...

expected either newly acquired

Anthony Rizzo Anthony Vincent Rizzo (born August 8, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees. Rizzo was selected by ...

or Blanks to eventually be the Padres starting first baseman. Blanks started

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

on the

. He played 78 games at Double-A

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

and Triple-A

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, hitting a combined .312 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI. He was promoted to San Diego and

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 that Rizzo would be the starting first baseman for the Padres in 2012. ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' projected Jesús Guzmán and Blanks as options for left field. However, he was lost for the season in April after surgery to repair a significant tear in the labrum of his non-throwing shoulder. Blanks played well during

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

, but began the year with Tucson with left field occupied by

Carlos Quentin Carlos José Quentin (born August 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. In 2008 and 2011, Quentin was sele ...

and first base occupied by

Yonder Alonso Yonder Alonso (born April 8, 1987) is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, ...

. Blanks was called up on April 14 when Quentin began serving a suspension for a brawl. He remained with the club after Quentin's return as an injury to

Cameron Maybin Cameron Keith Maybin (born April 4, 1987) is an American professional baseball sports commentator, broadcaster and former center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Florida / Miami Marlins, Sa ...

opened up a spot in the outfield. Blanks also picked up a number of starts at first base in June while

was on the disabled list with a broken hand. Blanks himself went to the disabled list on July 12 with tendinitis in his left heel. He returned on August 31 after a rehab assignment and spent the rest of the season with the club. For the year, Blanks set a career high with 88 games played and 71 starts. He hit .243 in 280 at-bats with 8 home runs. Blanks was chosen to start the 2014 season in the minors. Blanks was called up on May 5, after

Xavier Nady Xavier Clifford Nady VI (; born November 14, 1978) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. Nady played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Ari ...

was designated for assignment. Blanks only played 5 games for the Padres in 2014, getting 2 hits in 10 at bats.

Oakland Athletics

On May 15, 2014, the Padres traded Blanks to the

for

Jake Goebbert Jacob Dwayne Goebbert (born September 24, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2014. Career Amateur Goebbert attended Hampshire High School in Hampshi ...

and minor leaguer Ronald Herrera. He was designated for assignment on November 28, 2014.

Texas Rangers

On December 15, 2014, the Texas Rangers signed Blanks to a minor league contract with a base salary of $1 million, and $600,000 in performance related bonuses if he made the big league roster. Blanks appeared in 18 games for the Rangers in 2015, hitting .313 in 71

plate appearance In baseball, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner. This ha ...

San Francisco Giants

Blanks signed with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

on a minor league contract in November 2015. Despite missing time in 2016 due to injury, the Giants re-signed Blanks to a minor league deal for the 2017 season. He was released on May 26, 2017.

Acereros de Monclova

On June 13, 2017, Blanks signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He was released on June 22, 2017. In 3 games he hit a miserable 1-13 (.077).

Awards and honors

References

External links

MiLB.com player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanks, Kyle 1986 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona League Padres players Baseball players from Bucks County, Pennsylvania El Paso Chihuahuas players Fort Wayne Wizards players Gigantes de Carolina (baseball) players Lake Elsinore Storm players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Mexican League baseball left fielders Oakland Athletics players People from Moriarty, New Mexico People from Sellersville, Pennsylvania Peoria Saguaros players Portland Beavers players Round Rock Express players Sacramento River Cats players San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres players Texas Rangers players Tucson Padres players Yavapai Roughriders baseball players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen