Gregor Blanco
Blanco with the San Francisco Giants in 2016
Outfielder
Born: (1983-12-24) December 24, 1983
Caracas, Venezuela
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
March 30, 2008, for the Atlanta Braves
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2018, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.255
Home runs26
Runs batted in235
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Grégor Miguel Blanco Pedraza (born December 24, 1983) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, and Arizona Diamondbacks. His nickname was "White Shark", as blanco is white in Spanish, and he played for Los Tiburones de La Guaira, The Sharks of La Guaira.

Professional career

Blanco was the center fielder and leadoff hitter for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, hitting .315 (178 AB) in the 2006–07 season, .345 (229 AB) in the 2007–08 season (finishing second in MVP voting) and .349 (172 AB) in the 2008–09 season.

Atlanta Braves (2008–2010)

Blanco signed with the Atlanta Braves on July 4, 2000, as an undrafted free agent. He beat out Josh Anderson in spring training to become the Braves' backup outfielder in 2008. He began to see regular playing time after Mark Kotsay injured his back on May 26.

In 2008, he had the lowest home run per plate appearance percentage in the majors (among regular home run hitters) (0.2%).

Kansas City Royals (2010)

On July 31, 2010, Blanco was traded to the Kansas City Royals along with Jesse Chavez and Tim Collins for Kyle Farnsworth and Rick Ankiel.

Washington Nationals

On May 8, 2011, Blanco was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for a player to be named later. During the offseason of 2011, Gregor played in the Venezuelan Winter league and was named the MVP for the 2011 season.

San Francisco Giants (2012–2016)

Blanco signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants on November 16, 2011, and was selected to be part of the Giants' 2012 Opening Day roster as an outfielder.[1]

On June 13, 2012, Blanco made a fully extended diving catch in deep right-center field, catching the ball in the end of his mitt, to rob Jordan Schafer of a hit in the top of the 7th inning of Matt Cain's perfect game. The Mercury News wrote "In a town very familiar with the words "The Catch", Blanco made one for the ages: he took off on a dead sprint at the crack of the bat and made a diving catch on the warning track in center field, 400 feet from home plate."[2]

On July 13, 2013, in a 9–0 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Blanco caught the final out of Tim Lincecum's first career no-hitter in the ninth inning. It was the first no-hitter in the history of the ballpark.

On September 5, 2014, Blanco made an error that ended his 306-game errorless streak. He dropped the ball on a Bryan Holaday line drive.[3] On July 8, 2016, Blanco hit his first career pinch-hit home run, and his first of the season.[4] In 2016 with the Giants he batted .224/.309/.311.

Arizona Diamondbacks (2017)

On January 17, 2017, Blanco signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that included an invitation to spring training.[5] He was released on March 27, and re-signed to a new minor league contract the next day.[6]

Second stint with San Francisco Giants (2018)

On January 29, 2018, Blanco signed a minor league contract to return to the Giants.[7] His contract was purchased by the Giants on March 28, 2018, and he was assigned to the Opening Day roster.[8] He was designated for assignment on June 2, 2018. In his second stint, he hit .217/.262/.317 with 2 home runs.

New York Mets

Blanco with the New York Mets during spring training in 2019

On December 21, 2018, Blanco signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets that included an invitation to spring training.[9] He became a free agent following the 2019 season.[10]

Retirement

On February 6, 2020, Blanco retired to take on a new post in the baseball operations department for MLB.[11]

Personal life

Blanco and his wife, Mirna, have three children. He has a twin brother named Gregory and a younger brother named Gregsman.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shea, John (April 4, 2012). "Ladies and gentleman, your 2012 Giants' Opening Day roster". SFGate.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  2. ↑ Pavlovic, Alex (June 14, 2012). "Giant's Blanco sets the stage with the latest version of 'The Catch'". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Schulman, Henry (September 5, 2014). "Blanco loses error, gains streak". SFGate.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Manager's ejection ignites Giants in 6-2 win". The Sports Xchange. July 9, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Adams, Steve (January 17, 2017). "Diamondbacks, Gregor Blanco Agree To Minors Deal". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Todd, Jeff (March 28, 2017). "Diamondbacks Release, Re-Sign Gregor Blanco". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Outfielder Gregor Blanco returns to Giants' organization". mercurynews.com. January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Giants' Gregor Blanco: Secures Opening Day roster spot". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Mets' Gregor Blanco: Agrees to terms with Mets". CBSSports.com. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  10. ↑ Matt Eddy (November 7, 2019). "Minor League Free Agents 2019". Baseball America. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  11. ↑ Schulman, Hank (February 6, 2020). "Giants, A's favorites Gregor Blanco, Nick Hundley retire, join league office". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ Blanco, Gregor (May 11, 2012). "My Family of Gregs". gregorblanco.mlblogs.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
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