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2007 It used to be that Blanco was an outstanding defensive catcher who couldn`t hit, in part because he never singled. He can still do the outstanding catcher thing, but a few more base hits last year made him into something of gray hole offensively, rather than a black one. Keep in mind his age and track record--when backup catchers get this old, they start falling and can`t get back up. 2006 Blanco makes a nice catch-and-throw backup for a more offensive-minded starting catcher. While the Cubs overpaid for the privilege (he`ll make $1.5 million in `06), he did play about as well as advertised, throwing out almost half of attempted base thieves. Offensively, he fits right in as a member of one of the most punchless benches in baseball. 2005 The Twins like to congratulate themselves on a lot of things, but taking pride in having signed Blanco a year ago should not have been one of the things to boast about. Offensively, he's a zero, below even the Matheny Line of usefulness. He's a great defensive replacement, and if your starting catcher was a Piazza or a LeCroy, someone you don't want to catch every inning, he'd be handy. In Chicago, Cubs fans can hope he gets dusty on the bench. 2003 If this doesn’t prove that Greg Maddux is beyond help in controlling the running game, nothing does. Blanco is one of the two or three best-throwing catchers in the game (which is kind of obvious from his offensive numbers). The Braves acquired Blanco and made him Maddux’s personal catcher, but Maddux still allowed 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts; only two National League pitchers allowed more steals. The Braves traded Kevin Millwood for (gulp) Johnny Estrada, another catcher, so Blanco’s days may be numbered. 2002 A respectable backup catcher employed beyond his ability. Now, there’s nothing wrong with respectability; after all, Shannon Tweed has had an acting career that employed the full range of her talents. The difference between Tweed and Blanco is that nobody put Tweed in a role she wasn’t capable of filling, while the Brewers keep trying to talk themselves into believing that Blanco is the new Jim Sundberg. 2001 It took the Sal Bando regime four years to realize that the similarly-skilled Mike Matheny simply wasn’t worth it. Taylor’s crew is completely enamored of Henry Blanco; how long do you think it will take them to learn? The answer, if the Brewers improve at all, could be never, because Blanco’s ability to shut down the running game will be cited as a major factor in the club’s improvement. Just look at what happened to Matheny in St. Louis: during the playoffs, his teammates told anyone who would listen that Matheny was their MVP. Edgar Renteria, Darryl Kile, and Jim Edmonds must have brutal intangibles. 2000 Blanco is your basic defensive substitute. He doesn’t do anything with the bat, but he’s a reliable backstop without any defensive weaknesses. Of course, if you have this guy and Manwaring as your catchers, you have a situation that’s easy to improve. He’s been traded to Milwaukee, where he’ll fight Bobby Hughes for playing time. 1996 He must be responsible for half of the season ticket sales in San Antonio, because he's a hack. Keep in mind that he's held the third base job in AA for three straight years despite being awful, and the Dodgers haven't been able to come up with anything better than Henry Blanco to play in San Antonio for three years. That's a problem, because the Dodgers have needed and will need a third baseman.
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