One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Blanton's 4-seam fastball carries 17.8 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
216 thrown, averaging 90.2 mph.
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Blanton goes to the slider: 46.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 28.8% the rest of the time.
224 two-strike pitches in 2017.
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Blanton's sinker leaves the bat at 92.6 mph, against 82.4 off his curveball.
79 and 91 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Blanton's 4-seam fastball averages 90.2 mph, and has touched 93.0.
216 thrown, 28.2% of his pitches.
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Blanton releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 31 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
765 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Blanton lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.18 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
765 located pitches in 2017.
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .380 expected average against them, against .313 on his offspeed pitches.
352 of his breaking balls thrown.
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Blanton puts 48.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.2% of his pitches to left-handers.
473 pitches to right-handed hitters, 292 to left-handed hitters.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Blanton throws the slider 44.8% of the time against right-handers and 16.8% against left-handers.
473 pitches to right-handers, 292 to left-handers.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Blanton puts 58.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.3% when he is ahead.
207 located pitches behind, 213 ahead.
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Blanton averages 86.8 mph across his arsenal, 23rd percentile in the league.
765 pitches in 2017. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 544th in MLB.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Blanton releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
765 tracked pitches in 2017.
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Blanton lives in the strike zone: 46.5% of his pitches are in it, 71st percentile.
765 pitches in 2017. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 203rd in MLB.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Blanton's changeup moves 11.6 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
118 thrown, averaging 85.3 mph.
He lives on one side of the plate
Blanton works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.6 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
765 located pitches in 2017.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Blanton lands 54.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.8% of his offspeed pitches.
295 of his fastballs, 118 of his offspeed pitches.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Blanton works with 5 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup and Curveball, and a little else. The slider is 34.1% of everything he throws.
765 classified pitches in 2017.
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Blanton throws 48.5% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46% with the bases empty.
171 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 594 with the bases empty.
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 35.1% of the contact Blanton gives up is hit hard, 66th percentile.
765 pitches in 2017. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 242nd in MLB.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Blanton throws a strike on the first pitch 62.4% of the time.
194 plate appearances started in 2017.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.0 mph separates Blanton's sinker from his curveball, 90.4 against 79.4.
79 and 91 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Blanton's curveball spins at 2,479 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
91 thrown in 2017.
Show more
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One pitch of his moves in a way hitters rarely see
Blanton's 4-seam fastball carries 17.8 inches of ride against a spinless ball, the biggest vertical move in his arsenal.
216 thrown, averaging 90.2 mph.
One pitch of his runs sideways more than almost anyone's
Blanton's changeup moves 11.6 inches toward the first-base side, the biggest horizontal move in his arsenal.
118 thrown, averaging 85.3 mph.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
This is the pitch he goes to when he needs the out
With two strikes Blanton goes to the slider: 46.9% of his two-strike pitches, against 28.8% the rest of the time.
224 two-strike pitches in 2017.
How much of the zone he uses depends on the count
Blanton puts 58.9% of his pitches in the zone when he is behind and 33.3% when he is ahead.
207 located pitches behind, 213 ahead.
He gets ahead early and pitches from in front all night
Blanton throws a strike on the first pitch 62.4% of the time.
194 plate appearances started in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
There is one pitch of his that keeps getting hit
Contact off Blanton's sinker leaves the bat at 92.6 mph, against 82.4 off his curveball.
79 and 91 of them thrown.
His fastball is the pitch everything else is built on
Blanton's 4-seam fastball averages 90.2 mph, and has touched 93.0.
216 thrown, 28.2% of his pitches.
He saves one pitch for one side of the plate
Blanton throws the slider 44.8% of the time against right-handers and 16.8% against left-handers.
473 pitches to right-handers, 292 to left-handers.
His pitches move in ways that fit together
Blanton works with 5 pitches: Slider, 4-Seam Fastball, Changeup and Curveball, and a little else. The slider is 34.1% of everything he throws.
765 classified pitches in 2017.
The gap between his pitches is what makes them work
11.0 mph separates Blanton's sinker from his curveball, 90.4 against 79.4.
79 and 91 of them respectively.
One pitch of his spins more than almost anyone's
Blanton's curveball spins at 2,479 rpm, the highest in his arsenal.
91 thrown in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
The angle he throws from is unusual, and hitters notice
Blanton releases the ball from a low three-quarters slot, about 31 degrees above horizontal and 2.3 feet to the third-base side of the rubber.
765 tracked release points, averaging 5.7 feet off the ground.
He releases the ball about where everyone else does
Blanton releases the ball 5.8 feet down the mound, a shorter stride than most.
765 tracked pitches in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He works one part of the zone far more than the rest
Blanton lives at the bottom of the zone: his average pitch crosses at 2.18 feet, against a zone that runs 1.5 to 3.5.
765 located pitches in 2017.
He lives on one side of the plate
Blanton works in on right-handers: his average pitch lands 2.6 inches to that side of the middle of the plate.
765 located pitches in 2017.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
One type of hitter does all the damage against him
Hitters do their damage on his breaking balls: a .380 expected average against them, against .313 on his offspeed pitches.
352 of his breaking balls thrown.
He throws strikes to one type of hitter and not the other
Blanton lands 54.2% of his fastballs in the zone and only 39.8% of his offspeed pitches.
295 of his fastballs, 118 of his offspeed pitches.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches differently depending on which hand is up
Blanton puts 48.6% of his pitches to right-handers in the zone and 43.2% of his pitches to left-handers.
473 pitches to right-handed hitters, 292 to left-handed hitters.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He gets by without much velocity, and it costs him
Blanton averages 86.8 mph across his arsenal, 23rd percentile in the league.
765 pitches in 2017. 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 544th in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Pitch Data.
Take me there
He fills the strike zone and makes hitters beat him
Blanton lives in the strike zone: 46.5% of his pitches are in it, 71st percentile.
765 pitches in 2017. 71st percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 203rd in MLB.
The numbers behind these live in Matchups.
Take me there
He pitches around the zone once runners are on
Blanton throws 48.5% of his pitches in the zone with a runner in scoring position and 46% with the bases empty.
171 pitches with a runner in scoring position, 594 with the bases empty.
The numbers behind these live in Spray Chart.
Take me there
Almost nothing hit off him is hit well
Only 35.1% of the contact Blanton gives up is hit hard, 66th percentile.
765 pitches in 2017. 66th percentile among qualified pitchers in 2017, 242nd in MLB.
Athletics
Career team 2004–2008