Henry Blanco
Full Name: Henry Ramon Blanco
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170 lbs.
Born: Aug 29, 1971 in Caracas, Venezuela
Major League Debut: Jul 25, 1997
PHOTO
GALLERY


CAREER BATTING STATISTICS
 BATTING
YEAR TEAM AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K OBP SLG
1997
1999
2000
2001
 LA
Col
Mil
Mil
 .400
.232
.236
.210
 3
88
93
104
 5
263
284
314
 1
30
29
33
 2
61
67
66
 0
12
24
18
 0
3
0
3
 1
6
7
6
 1
28
31
31
 0
34
36
34
 1
38
60
72
 .400
.320
.318
.290
 1.000
.369
.394
.344
Totals AVG
.226		 G
288		 AB
866		 R
93		 H
196		 2B
54		 3B
6		 HR
20		 RBI
91		 BB
104		 K
171		 OBP
.309		 SLG
.372

 BATTINGBASERUNNINGMISC
YEAR TEAM HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K
1997
1999
2000
2001
 LA
Col
Mil
Mil
 0
1
0
2
 0
4
9
10
 5
97
112
108
 0
1
6
6
 0
3
0
5
 0
2
4
2
 0
1
0
3
 0
1
3
1
 -.---
.500
.000
.750
 5.0
43.8
40.6
52.3
 5.0
6.9
4.7
4.4
Totals HBP
3		 GDP
23		 TB
322		 IBB
13		 SH
8		 SF
8		 SB
4		 CS
5		 SB%
.444		 AB/HR
43.3		 AB/K
5.1


CAREER FIELDING STATISTICS
YEAR TEAM POS G Ch PO A E DP PB FPCT
1997
1997
1999
1999
2000
2001
 LA
LA
Col
Col
Mil
Mil
 1B
3B
OF
C
C
C
 1
1
1
86
88
102
 5
0
0
625
569
719
 5
0
0
562
506
645
 0
0
0
58
58
68
 0
0
0
5
5
6
 0
0
0
12
12
9
 0
0
0
5
5
6
 1.000
-.---
-.---
0.992
0.991
0.992
Totals G
279		 Ch
1918		 PO
1718		 A
184		 E
16		 DP
33		 PB
16		 FPCT
0.992


Career

1999 Season
Signed as a minor league free agent and called up in May when Kirt Manwaring dislocated a finger, Henry Blanco emerged as the best catcher in Rockies history. He had surprising success at the plate until spraining his left ankle in a home-plate collision in Milwaukee on August 10. He continued to play, but lost his ability to push off at the plate and his average fell from .271 to .232.


Hitting, Baserunning & Defense
Blanco's best offensive tool is a dose of power. Though he can be overpowered, he does hang in fairly well against breaking pitches. Blanco might be the slowest runner this side of Kirt Manwaring. Where he stands out is behind the plate. Blanco led all National League catchers by gunning down 39 percent of basestealers in 1999. He moves well behind the plate, giving hurlers the confidence to bounce pitches in the dirt.


2000 Outlook
Blanco proved last year that he belongs in the big leagues. He'll start for the Brewers, who acquired him in a four-team deal at the Winter Meetings. His lack of offensive potential better suits him to be a backup.

Latest News Updated 01/30/01
The Brewers signed Blanco to a two-year contract Monday, avoiding salary arbitration. Blanco was one of the top defensive catchers last year, throwing out 59 percent of attempted stealers before being hampered late in the season by a sore right shoulder. That was the highest caught stealing percentage for a catcher since 1982, when California's Bob Boone posted a 56.4 percent success rate. Blanco hasn't done much with his bat. He hit .232 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in 93 games.