Kyle Blanks

[hett2333]

This guy is built between a mixture of Adam Dunn/Prince Fiedler...the Padres are going to try him out in LF, and if that doesn't work they may also try him out in RF. Adrian Gonzalez feels he's ready for the big leagues and he should be up.

When do you think he'll get the call, and what can we expect from him?

[hett2333]

Does anyone know anything about this guy?

[Steve-o]

He's a big dude. I've actually heard that people are a little concerned about his power and that he might be more of a 20-25 homer guy than a 30-35 homer guy. I can't imagine how someone who is 300 lbs could play LF.

I actually googled who would be the heaviest OF ever to play and this article came up.

[thomasps3]

Blanks is a guy who you look at and wonder why he's on the baseball diamond. He kind of reminds me of Antonio Gates, the TE for the Chargers. The book on Blanks says he has worked very hard, which portends well for his character, at closing the holes in his swing since signing as a draft and follow with SD back in 2004. Additionally, he is a surprising athlete who runs ok once eh gets started. At his young age, he also has developed an ability to drive the ball with authority to the opposite field, which as he continues to get older will allow him to maintain some semblence of average.

I believe BA has him as a Top 50 prospect before the season started, and with him getting some games recently in the OF, it looks liek the Padres management is trying to figure out a way to get his bat in the lineup because Adrian Gonzalez is obviously blocking him from making an impact.

Lastly, if he gets 300 major league ABs this year, I could see this range of outcomes:
.245/10 HR/42 RBI/2 SB
to
.277/ 14 HR/48 RBI/2 SB

That speaks to me as a platoon type player who really makes his bench spot somewhat valuable....

Hope this helps