Henry Blanco, baseball player, 1997-2013

Henry Blanco

Born: 8/29/1971 in Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela

MLB Debut: 1997-07-25 | Final Game: 2013-09-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 220 lbs

Full name: Henry Ramon Blanco

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Henry Blanco was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1997 to 2013. Born in 1971, Blanco made his Major League Baseball debut on July 25, 1997, and played his final game on September 23, 2013. Primarily known as a catcher, he appeared in 971 games throughout his career, accumulating 615 hits, 72 home runs, and 298 runs batted in, while finishing with a batting average of .223. Although he was not known for his offensive prowess, Blanco's value lay in his defensive skills behind the plate, where he earned a reputation as a solid game manager and a reliable handler of pitching staffs. Blanco played for several teams during his time in the major leagues, including the Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Braves, among others. His playing style reflected the evolving role of catchers in the game, particularly during the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period characterized by a heightened emphasis on offensive production. Despite his modest offensive numbers, Blanco's experience and leadership contributed to the success of the teams he played for, making him a respected figure in the clubhouse. As a veteran presence, he played a significant role in mentoring younger players, leaving a lasting impact on the game beyond just his statistics.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
971 2761 274 615 145 11 72 298 6 254 546 0.223 0.288 0.361 0.649 -7652.7

Career AVG .223 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 15.4% below league average.

Career OBP .288 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 13.2% below league average.

Career SLG .361 vs. league average .418 across their career seasons — 13.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.649 vs. league average 0.750 across their career seasons — 13.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1997 LAD NL 3 5 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1999 COL NL 88 263 30 61 12 3 6 28 1 34 38 0.232 .271 (-14%) .344 (-7%) .433 (-15%) .778 (-12%) -600.2
2000 MIL NL 93 284 29 67 24 0 7 31 0 36 60 0.236 .270 (-13%) .344 (-8%) .437 (-10%) .782 (-9%) -555.0
2001 MIL NL 104 314 33 66 18 3 6 31 3 34 72 0.210 .263 (-20%) .332 (-13%) .426 (-19%) .758 (-16%) -1048.7
2002 ATL NL 81 221 17 45 9 1 6 22 0 20 51 0.204 .261 (-22%) .331 (-19%) .416 (-20%) .747 (-19%) -884.4
2003 ATL NL 55 151 11 30 8 0 1 13 0 10 21 0.199 .264 (-25%) .332 (-24%) .422 (-36%) .754 (-31%) -855.1
2004 MIN AL 114 315 36 65 19 1 10 37 0 21 56 0.206 .266 (-22%) .335 (-22%) .427 (-14%) .762 (-18%) -1227.6
2005 CHC NL 54 161 16 39 6 0 6 25 0 11 24 0.242 .264 (-8%) .330 (-13%) .418 (-7%) .749 (-9%) -306.0
2006 CHC NL 74 241 23 64 15 2 6 37 0 14 38 0.266 .269 (-1%) .336 (-10%) .431 (-3%) .768 (-6%) -339.1
2007 CHC NL 22 54 3 9 3 0 0 4 0 2 12 0.167 .268 (-38%) .335 (-43%) .422 (-47%) .758 (-45%) -440.4
2008 CHC NL 58 120 15 35 3 0 3 12 0 6 22 0.292 .263 (+11%) .333 (-2%) .416 (-6%) .749 (-4%) -88.4
2009 SDP NL 67 204 21 48 12 0 6 16 0 26 50 0.235 .262 (-10%) .332 (-4%) .417 (-8%) .750 (-6%) -224.1
2010 NYN NL 50 130 10 28 5 0 2 8 1 11 26 0.215 .257 (-16%) .325 (-17%) .402 (-26%) .728 (-22%) -516.7
2011 AZ NL 37 100 12 25 3 1 8 12 0 12 21 0.250 .255 (-2%) .320 (+3%) .399 (+35%) .719 (+21%) 341.3
2012 AZ NL 21 64 6 12 3 0 1 7 1 3 18 0.188 .254 (-26%) .318 (-30%) .405 (-31%) .724 (-30%) -326.0
2013 TOR AL 15 38 3 7 3 0 0 0 0 4 10 0.184 — — — — 0.0
2013 SEA AL 35 96 8 12 2 0 3 14 0 10 26 0.125 .253 (-51%) .317 (-32%) .396 (-40%) .714 (-36%) 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 15 1 3 0 0 1 2 0 4 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2011 NLDS2 ARI 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
2004 ALDS2 MIN 4 8 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 0.250
2002 NLDS1 ATL 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 10 7 50 4 0 3
3B 2 0 0 0 0 0
C 914 794 5659 475 38 78
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1997 LAN 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1997 LAN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1999 COL C 86 78 562 58 5 12
1999 COL OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
2000 MIL C 88 83 506 58 5 13
2001 MIL C 102 94 645 68 6 9
2002 ATL C 79 64 417 38 3 1
2003 ATL C 52 42 255 25 1 4
2004 MIN C 114 95 685 45 7 7
2005 CHN C 54 48 407 31 1 2
2006 CHN 1B 6 6 34 3 0 3
2006 CHN C 69 59 467 34 1 10
2007 CHN 1B 2 1 8 1 0 0
2007 CHN C 14 13 102 4 0 1
2008 CHN 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
2008 CHN C 45 28 235 15 2 2
2009 SDN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
2009 SDN C 60 58 444 28 0 4
2010 NYN C 46 41 284 27 1 4
2011 ARI C 37 31 178 13 1 0
2012 ARI C 21 18 141 14 2 5
2013 TOR C 13 13 85 4 0 0
2013 SEA C 34 29 246 13 3 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 914
First Base 10
Third Base 2
Left Field 1

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2013 TOR AL $750,000
2012 ARI NL $1,250,000
2011 ARI NL $1,000,000
2010 NYN NL $750,000
2009 SDN NL $750,000
2008 CHN NL $3,175,000
2007 CHN NL $1,775,000
2006 CHN NL $1,500,000
2005 CHN NL $1,200,000
2004 MIN AL $750,000
2003 ATL NL $1,300,000
2002 ATL NL $1,512,500
2001 MIL NL $712,500
2000 MIL NL $235,000
1999 COL NL $215,000
1998 LAN NL $170,000
Total Career Earnings $17,045,000