| Andrés Blanco | |
|---|---|
Blanco playing for the Rangers in 2011 |
|
| Washington Nationals | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: April 11, 1984 Caracas, Venezuela |
|
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 2004 for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
|
| Batting average | .255 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 47 |
| Teams | |
Andrés Eloy Blanco Perez (born April 11, 1984, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.
Blanco was named in honor of Andrés Eloy Blanco, a Venezuelan poet, by his father.
Blanco made his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals on April 18, 2004. He hit .317 (19-for-60) with five RBIs, nine runs, two doubles, two triples, and one stolen base in 19 games.
He hit .215 with a .220 on base percentage in 2005, and .241 with a .290 on base percentage in 2006, both with Kansas City. Blanco had surgery on his left shoulder on September 29, 2006, to repair a posterior labrum tear in his left shoulder, which he injured during a swing five days prior against the Tigers.[1][2]
He did not play in the major leagues in 2007, but batted .192 in the minor leagues with a .226 on base percentage and a .212 slugging percentage.
He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in November 2007, played the 2008 season with the Iowa Cubs where he hit .285/.327/.336, and became a free agent at the end of the season. In December 2008, he re-signed with the Cubs.
On June 20, 2009, during an interleague game between the Cubs and Cleveland Indians, Blanco hit an RBI single to tie a game in extra innings. He later scored the winning run for the Cubs, by stealing home on a wild pitch thrown by Indians' closer Kerry Wood.
Blanco hit his first major league home run on July 29, 2009 while playing the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field.
On March 27, 2010, Blanco was traded to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later or cash. He subsequently won the Rangers' utility infielder position. He became a free agent on November 4, 2011.
Blanco signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on December 16, 2011. He also received an invitation to spring training.