How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a
one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San
Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the
players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the
postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general
manager. Part eighteen is about speedy outfielder Gregor Blanco.
Gregor Blanco was born on December 12, 1983, in Caracas, Venezuela. He attended Ignacio Martin Burk High School in Valera, Venezuela, and was signed by the Atlanta Braves at the age of sixteen on July 4, 2000 after going undrafted. He finished his schooling in Venezuela, and moved along to play with the Class A Macon Braves of Macon, Georgia in 2002. While with Macon in the South Atlantic League, Blanco hit to a .271 batting average, as well as nine triples and forty stolen bases. This early speedster reputation is still with Blanco to this day. He advanced to the Class A Advanced Carolina League in 2003 and 2004, playing both seasons in full with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in South Carolina. Over the two seasons, he hit to a .269 batting average, while amassing sixteen triples and fifty-nine stolen bases. Throughout his first three years in the minors, he also accumulated twenty home runs and 113 runs batted in. His defense early on was the weakest part of his game, but he looked like a decent prospect in most regards. In 2005, Blanco continued his slow progression through the minors, moving on to the Class AA Mississippi Braves of Jackson, Mississippi. He also played about a half of a season in 2006 here, and over the one and a half season, he hit .265 with fifteen triples and six home runs, as well as forty-six runs batted in and forty-five stolen bases. More importantly, he reduced the number of errors he made while playing all positions in the outfield, primarily center field. For the rest of 2006 and all of 2007, Blanco was assigned to play in the Class AAA International League with the Richmond Braves of Richmond, Virginia. Closing out 2006, he improved his numbers to a .294 batting average, with a triple and fourteen stolen bases, although he failed to hit a home run. The next year, he played the entire season, amassing a .282 batting average with five triples, three home runs, thirty-five runs batted in and twenty-three stolen bases. The performance was enough for Blanco to play the entire season with the Braves in Atlanta in 2008. He made his major league debut on March 30, 2008, and worked primarily as a pinch hitter before taking over the starting job in center field from Jordan Schafer. His role was further solidified after May 26th saw Mark Kotsay get injured. Blanco ended the season hitting .251 with four triples, one home run (his first major league home run was hit on May 27th), thirty-eight runs batted in, and thirteen stolen bases. While he was slowing down on the basepaths, his fielding was greatly improved, and he only made two errors all season, both in left field. He struggled to repeat the modest success he achieved for the 2009 season, being sent down to the new Atlanta Braves Class AAA affiliate, the Gwinnett Braves of Lawrenceville, Georgia. His numbers there for the season were a .228 batting average, one triple, two home runs, thirty runs batted in, and ten stolen bases. In the majors, his statistics were worse, as he posted a miniscule .186 average with one triple, one run batted in, and two stolen bases. He rebounded in 2010, starting the year in Gwinnett and hitting .286 over forty-four games, with one home run, eleven runs batted in, and nine stolen bases, earning a late May call up. He was not sent back down, staying in Atlanta until he was traded with Jesse Chavez and Tim Collins to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth. for the whole season, he hit to a .283 batting average with four triples, one home run, fourteen runs batted in and eleven stolen bases. Blanco was a disappointment to the Royals, who had him playing with the Class AAA Syracuse Chiefs of Syracuse, New York in the International League for 2011. His numbers suffered here, as he only hit .203 with two triples, three home runs, ten runs batted in, and fifteen stolen bases before being traded to the Washington Nationals on May 8, 2011. He was promptly assigned to Omaha Storm Chasers of Omaha, Nebraska of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, and he stayed there for the entire season, hitting .196 with just four runs batted in and nine stolen bases in a very limited role. Blanco was a free agent after the season, but the San Francisco Giants signed Blanco to a minor league contract with a spring training invitation on November 19, 2011. Blanco made the team out of spring training, again working in a fourth outfielder role for the first half of the season. On the highlight reel, Blanco's defense came into prominence as he once again robbed Jordan Schafer, now of the Houston Astros, during Matt Cain's perfect game by making a spectacular diving catch on the warning track to preserve the historic bid. Blanco made further headlines when the news of Melky Cabrera's suspension for performance-enhancing drugs came out, and after August 15, 2012, he had the starting left field role. He ended the regular season hitting .244 with five triples and home runs apiece, as well as producing thirty-four runs batted in, and he also saw a speed resurgence with twenty-six stolen bases. He was on the postseason roster, playing in every playoff game for the Giants. He knocked in five runners over the postseason with just three specific hits (two triples and a double), and his postseason highlight would be World Series Game 3 triple that gave the Giants a second inning lead, en route to their sixth straight victory and the eventual title of World Series Champions. As well as that key hit, Blanco also maintained strong defense, a critical component of the Giants' championship character.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
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