Brewers Sign Andres Blanco

[Eye Black]

Mystery Triple-A 3B acquisition solved... MLB Trade Rumors Link

 

The Brewers have agreed to a minors deal with infielder Andres Blanco, according to a club announcement. He’ll head to Triple-A to take the team’s open third base job there.

 

Blanco, who’ll soon turn 34, had been cut loose by the Giants at the tail end of Spring Training. He was limited during camp by injury and never got much of a shot at a fairly crowded utility infield competition in San Francisco.

 

Between 2014 and 2016, Blanco provided the Phillies with a surprising .274/.337/.457 cumulative batting line. But he ran into a wall in 2017, ending the year with an ugly .192/.257/.292 output in his 144 trips to the plate.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Note to Stearns - Just because a player can play multiple positions, it does not mean they are valuable.

 

What a nothingburger signing. Granted a guy signed to a AAA contract now wasn't going to be great, but this is such a blah move. I was hoping it would at least be a guy with some theoretical upside like Lawrie, or a guy who has played well in the past like McGehee or Hill. No, instead we get a guy who plays poor defense, has no power and an upside batting average of .260-.270. But you can throw him at multiple positions! Yuck.

[CheezWizHed]

Uh... you realize that Blanco and McGehee are practically twins at the plate, right? Late bloomers that had a couple good years and the same age to boot.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Uh... you realize that Blanco and McGehee are practically twins at the plate, right? Late bloomers that had a couple good years and the same age to boot.

 

McGehee at least provides some semblance of power. Blanco? Nada. Might as well be a 150-lb all-field shortstop.

[superfly]

What a garbage signing. This is like Ted Thompson signing a 4th string OL who's had 2 knees and a back injury who started about 8 games 3 years prior and proclaiming himself a genius.

[CheezWizHed]

McGehee at least provides some semblance of power. Blanco? Nada. Might as well be a 150-lb all-field shortstop.

 

256/310/378/688 career; 292/360/502/863 peak

258/317/384/701 career; 301/360/499/859 peak

 

Can you tell which is which?

 

I'm not lauding the signing, but he is hilariously close to McGehee's numbers.

[jerichoholicninja]

Let's say Shaw or Arcia goes down for the year, who takes their spot? I would assume Perez or Villar with Sogard becoming the regular 2B and Orf or Dubon taking the roster spot. Either way Blanco is way down on the depth chart. The only reason this signing is in any way noteworthy is because Tom teased it and people started speculating wildly.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

McGehee at least provides some semblance of power. Blanco? Nada. Might as well be a 150-lb all-field shortstop.

 

256/310/378/688 career; 292/360/502/863 peak

258/317/384/701 career; 301/360/499/859 peak

 

Can you tell which is which?

 

I'm not lauding the signing, but he is hilariously close to McGehee's numbers.

 

McGehee has seasons of 23, 16 and 13 HRs. Blanco's career high is 7. At a historically power position.

 

Yeah, neither signing would have been great. But Blanco is going to put up SS defensive specialist numbers. They very easily could have done better.

[CheezWizHed]

SLG gives a better picture of "power". Blanco's 7 HR was in 233 ABs. McGehee's 23 HRs was in 610 ABs. SLG equalizes the rate stats to compare better. Neither had much frankly.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

SLG gives a better picture of "power". Blanco's 7 HR was in 260 ABs. McGehee's 23 HRs was in 610 ABs. SLG equalizes the rate stats to compare better.

 

It feels like we are arguing whether a prostate exam or root canal feels better. McGehee would have probably been bad, just like Blanco will be. I guess if we're going to go with bad, I'd rather go with nostalgic bad.

[FVBrewerFan]

Not every AAA player is a prospect, ask Dillard. Blanci is AAA roster filler.

[adambr2]

Versatility is great but it feels like we are kind of maxed out on what we need for versatile players. Shaw and Arcia are basically always going to start, 1B is pretty much exclusively Thames and Braun, and we already have more starting outfielders than spots.

 

We have 3 guys on the MLB roster who can play 2nd serviceably but none are really guys you want in the lineup. Sogard, Perez and Villar are basically all interchangeable parts in that they can all play 2nd, SS, and 3B, and outfield in a pinch, Perez to a greater extent than the other two. All have a couple different skills and a lot of weaknesses.

 

Versatility meant more before the left side of our infield was solidified and before the Yelich and Cain acquisitions basically made moot any OF skills by our utility players.

[TexasCheesehead]

I would've been more satisfied if the Brewer's signed Bill Hall than Blanco honestly. At least we could throw him into the heart of the order on mother's day and get a sure win.

[Boomer5]

Young controllable talent.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Not every AAA player is a prospect, ask Dillard. Blanci is AAA roster filler.

 

Huge difference between the last man in the bullpen, who is basically an assistant coach/team mascot at this point, and a guy you are signing to start at the hot corner. I'm actually kind of surprised they aren't starting Jake Hagar there. He's got more upside than Blanco as well.

[brewmann04]

I don't think he going to hold anyone up in the system.

[And That]

I guess if we're going to go with bad, I'd rather go with nostalgic bad.

We're not really going with anything. Blanco is a veteran presence, which is needed in a AAA clubhouse. He also happens to be at least 4th, and maybe as low as 6th or 7th on the organizational depth chart for 3rd base. If it gets down to the point where Milwaukee needs to start Andres Blanco for a bunch of games at third base, the season has almost assuredly already gone sideways anyway.

 

Hager has been awful in AAA and being a former first-round pick doesn't necessarily mean he has upside.

 

Franklin, long-term, is more valuable as a catcher. I think that's a very smart move on his/the organizations part.

[Fear The Chorizo]

This wouldn't have even been a blip on the transactional radar screen had Haudricourt not "scooped" this so vaguely - he could've just tweeted that the Brewers made a minor league signing to fill out their AAA roster, announcement pending a physical. Him adding that he guessed the player and that he had MLB experience at 3rd just built this up way more than it needed to be.

 

I guess my biggest beef with Haudricourt is how in the world did he guess Blanco when there were so many other better options from a MLB veteran perspective?

[CheezWizHed]

I guess my biggest beef with Haudricourt is how in the world did he guess Blanco when there were so many other better options from a MLB veteran perspective?

 

How do we know he guess right?

 

[sarcasm]BTW, I had it right too![/sarcasm]