Henry Blanco
Blanco reacts after striking out in 2009
Free Agent — No. --
Catcher
Born: August 29, 1971 (1971-08-29) (age 38) Caracas, Venezuela
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 25, 1997 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Career statistics (through 2009 season)
Batting average	.228
Home runs	58
Runs batted in	257
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1997) Colorado Rockies (1999) Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2001) Atlanta Braves (2002-2003) Minnesota Twins (2004) Chicago Cubs (2005-2008) San Diego Padres (2009)

Blanco playing for the Chicago Cubs on September 18, 2006.

Henry Ramón Blanco (born August 29, 1971 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball catcher who is currently a free agent.

[edit] Professional career

A backup catcher most of his career, between 1997 and 2004, Blanco played with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1997), Colorado Rockies (1999), Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2002), Atlanta Braves (2003), and Minnesota Twins (2004). Before the 2005 season, Blanco signed a two-year, US$2.7 million contract with the Chicago Cubs to be their backup catcher. After the 2006 season, Blanco renewed his contract for two years with a mutual option for 2009. After the 2008 season, his option was declined making him a free agent.

In the 2000 season Blanco threw out 59 percent of attempted stealers. That was the highest percentage for a catcher since 1982, when California Angels' Bob Boone posted a 56.4 percent success rate. Throughout his career, he has thrown out more than 40 percent of opposing base stealers.

In the 2006 Caribbean World Series, he had a walkoff hit off the top of the opposing shortstop's head in the championship game to give the Venezuelan team the championship.

Through 2008, Blanco is a career .227 hitter with 52 home runs and 241 RBI in 746 games. His career batting average is lowest among active players with 1000 or more at-bats.

He is a cult favorite among Cub fans, among whom he is often affectionately termed "Hank White" by announcers Len Kasper and Bob Brenly.

On January 21, 2009, Blanco signed a 1-year deal to be a back-up catcher for the San Diego Padres. He will likely be a mentor for Nick Hundley.^[1]

[edit] Personal life

On November 30, 2008, Blanco's brother Carlos was kidnapped and held ransom for 200 million Venezuelan bolívares. Despite Henry negotiating with the kidnappers, on December 1, Carlos' body was found shot to death.^[2] Blanco and Marielis Useche (Bautista) have three sons together, Henry Jr., Hernis and Heyner^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Hank White Fan Club - a fan site dedicated to Henry Blanco.
• Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers