Tony Blanco Jr. cut down on strikeouts without sacrificing power in 2024
Massive slugger hit five home runs in Stateside debut season
It’s not hard to point out Tony Blanco Jr. on the baseball field. The towering 1B/DH for the FCL Pirates this past season has some of the best raw power in all of minor league baseball.
He slugged five home runs (12 XBH) in 40 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. Blanco drew a decent amount of walks (10.8%) but fanned 37.6% of the time.
The exit velocity numbers were elite, but that kind of swing-and-miss, especially that far down in the minors, gave a very good cause for concern.
Blanco got the bump up stateside, playing 30 games in the Florida Complex League in 2024. He put up an impressive .305/.385/.505 slash line, upping his walk rate ever so slightly, and while the strikeouts were still high, he still cut it down by nearly 10%.
He also hit 10 extra-base hits, four of which were home runs.
The strikeouts will still be something to monitor for Blanco, and it will likely be a thing he struggles with throughout his career, but he did flash some positive signs this season.
For someone who struck out nearly 40% of the time in the DSL, Blanco showed a much better approach than expected against breaking pitches. There’s still work to be done there, but there were several scenarios where the season went far worse at the plate.
A big factor for Blanco going into 2025 is his ability to stay healthy and on the field. He had two IL stints last year, playing in 30 of the team’s 59 games overall.
Blanco also spent time on the IL during his two years in the DSL. Of a potential 171 games so far in three years, Blanco has played in 78 of them, less than half (45.6%).
We’ve seen prospects like Lonnie White Jr. struggle to improve on the hit tool when dealing with injuries, so staying on the field will be a big key for Blanco in 2025.
The power has certainly come as advertised for Blanco, but his ability to stay on the field and continue to cut down on the strikeouts will determine if he takes the next step as a prospect.
I wrote going into 2024 that he was the biggest wildcard in the system, and that could apply again for 2025, especially if he gets pushed to Bradenton and plays well.
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I am Groot.
I’ll repeat what I’ve said previously when Lonnie White is discussed: Bill James wrote in one of his Baseball Abstracts that staying healthy should be considered a skill for position players. You can have all the talent in the world, but it’s of no use if you can’t stay on the field. I’d like to see Tony Blanco, Jr. play 130 games next year. Then we’ll see if the Pirates have something or not.