1971
Born August 29, 1971
Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela
Henry Blanco Marquee
b. August 29, 1971 · Los Angeles Dodgers 1997, Colorado Rockies 1999, Milwaukee Brewers 2000–2001, Atlanta Braves 2002–2003, Minnesota Twins 2004, Chicago Cubs 2005–2008, San Diego Padres 2009, New York Mets 2010, Arizona Diamondbacks 2011–2012, Toronto Blue Jays 2013, Seattle Mariners 2013
Blanco's playing time came from catching rather than hitting. He appeared in 914 games behind the plate, compared with 13 at first base, third base and the outfield combined. His busiest season was 2004 with Minnesota, when he caught regularly, played 114 games and hit a career-high 10 home runs.
Sixteen seasons gave him 615 hits, 145 doubles, 72 home runs, 298 runs batted in and a .223 average. He reached his high of 67 hits with Milwaukee in 2000, then collected 66 more the next season. He never made an All-Star team or appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot.
The Dodgers brought him up for three games in 1997. After a year away from the majors, he began a run that took him through ten more organizations, with four seasons for the Cubs his longest stay. Blanco split his final 2013 season between Toronto and Seattle and finished at forty-two.
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | LAD | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .400 |
| 1999 | COL | 88 | 263 | 30 | 61 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 38 | 1 | .232 |
| 2000 | MIL | 93 | 284 | 29 | 67 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 31 | 36 | 60 | 0 | .236 |
| 2001 | MIL | 104 | 314 | 33 | 66 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 31 | 34 | 72 | 3 | .210 |
| 2002 | ATL | 81 | 221 | 17 | 45 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 20 | 51 | 0 | .204 |
| 2003 | ATL | 55 | 151 | 11 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 21 | 0 | .199 |
| 2004 | MIN | 114 | 315 | 36 | 65 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 37 | 21 | 56 | 0 | .206 |
| 2005 | CHC | 54 | 161 | 16 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 11 | 24 | 0 | .242 |
| 2006 | CHC | 74 | 241 | 23 | 64 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 37 | 14 | 38 | 0 | .266 |
| 2007 | CHC | 22 | 54 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 0 | .167 |
| 2008 | CHC | 58 | 120 | 15 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 22 | 0 | .292 |
| 2009 | SDP | 67 | 204 | 21 | 48 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 26 | 50 | 0 | .235 |
| 2010 | NYM | 50 | 130 | 10 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 26 | 1 | .215 |
| 2011 | ARI | 37 | 100 | 12 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 21 | 0 | .250 |
| 2012 | ARI | 21 | 64 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 1 | .188 |
| 2013 | SEA/TOR | 50 | 134 | 11 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 36 | 0 | .142 |
| Career | — | 971 | 2761 | 274 | 615 | 145 | 11 | 72 | 298 | 254 | 546 | 6 | .223 |
On this day & linked events
1997
Major-league debut: Henry Blanco
Henry Blanco made a major-league debut on July 25, 1997.
2013
Final major-league game: Henry Blanco
Henry Blanco played a final major-league game on September 23, 2013.