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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Flanagan: Could Blanco be the Royals’ leadoff guy for years to come?

Gregor and the Code of Klaw…and many, many others.

I have to admit I’m more than intrigued by Gregor Blanco, the Royals’ new centerfielder and perhaps their new leadoff man for the foreseeable future.

Blanco, 26, certainly looks the part of a leadoff man. He’s 5 feet 11, 170 pounds, runs well, slaps at the ball, and is likely the team’s best bunter.

“He’s also got the best eye on the team,” Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer told me. “He’s got the best set of eyes I’ve seen in awhile. He can see a ball if it’s one inch off the plate and know it, just like an umpire would. He’s amazing that way.”

Blanco drew nearly 100 walks one season in the minors and during his one full season in the bigs, with the Atlanta Braves in 2008, he drew 74.

“Actually, I want that number to be higher,” Blanco said. “A lot higher.”

Repoz Posted: August 17, 2010 at 12:15 PM | 8 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: braves, projections, royals, sabermetrics

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1. Sweatpants Posted: August 17, 2010 at 01:09 PM (#3618020)

I love Gregor Blanco. He's not good enough at hitting the baseball to play in the majors, and he knows this, so he tries to get around it by bunting, fouling off pitches, and walking; he's like a player from the Deadball Era, and it's a joy to watch. I'm glad that Kansas City is giving him a shot and not turning on him despite his weak start for them. The odds are against him, but, then, that's part of what makes watching him play fun for me.

2. Latnam's first name is Bob Lemon's middl Posted: August 17, 2010 at 01:27 PM (#3618038)

As a Braves fan I always had a soft spot in my heart for Blanco. He does have a great eye, but almost now power to speak of. Great pinch hitter for when you need base-runners. I'll be cheering for him, but at the same time, he sure does seem like a Royals type of starting player.

3. AROM Posted: August 17, 2010 at 01:35 PM (#3618047)

Also plays for the Angels under the name Reggie Willits.

4. The Buddy Biancalana Hit Counter Posted: August 17, 2010 at 06:02 PM (#3618419)

...he sure does seem like a Royals type of starting player.

Trading for Joey Gathright and Gregor Blanco gets a GM a reputation.

5. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: August 17, 2010 at 07:02 PM (#3618520)

No. But he'll likely be a nice 5th OF. Unfortunately, Royals managers have a tendency to take guys that should be good bench players and expose them as every day players.

6. Kirby Kyle Posted: August 17, 2010 at 07:08 PM (#3618528)

I could swear the same thing was written about Mitch Maier last year.

7. CFBF Hates Hyphens Posted: August 17, 2010 at 07:10 PM (#3618532)

Blanco is so fun. He's like a science experiment to see how successful a player can be without swinging until a 3-2 count.

8. PreservedFish Posted: August 17, 2010 at 07:28 PM (#3618567)

Blanco is so fun. He's like a science experiment to see how successful a player can be without swinging until a 3-2 count.

This describes Luis Castillo. Except the part about fun.

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Flanagan: Could Blanco be the Royals’ leadoff guy for years to come?

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