Joe Blanton
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|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics — No. 55 | |
| Starting Pitcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| September 21, 2004 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
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| Record | 28-24 |
| ERA | 4.19 |
| Strikeouts | 229 |
Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a pitcher with the Oakland Athletics. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 1st round (24th overall) of the 2002 amateur entry draft.
Blanton was originally signed by Rich Sparks. He graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School (Kentucky) in 1999. He attended the University of Kentucky and led the Southeastern Conference and finished eighth among all NCAA Division I pitchers with 133 strikeouts in 2002. He was selected by the A's with the New York Yankees first round pick in the June, 2002 draft as compensation for the loss of free agent Jason Giambi.
[edit] Scouting
Blanton throws a low-90's fastball, along with a 12-6 curveball, a 10-4 slider, and a changeup. His curveball is by far his best second pitch, drawing comparisons to Barry Zito's famously baffling curve. His slider and changeup are only league-average, but Blanton appears to have a solid future as a middle-of-the-rotation type pitcher.
[edit] External links
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