BLALOCK, HANK  
 
Image of    Nickname:   N/A Position:   3B-1B-DH
Home: San Diego, California Team:   Retired
Height: 6' 1" Bats:   L
Weight: 200 Throws:   R
DOB: 11/21/1980 Agent: Scott Boras
Birth City: San Diego, California Draft: Rangers #3 - 1999 - Out of Rancho Bernardo H.S. (Calif.)
Uniform #: N/A  
 
YR LEA TEAM SAL(K) G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO OBP SLG AVG
1999 GCL Rangers     191 34 69 17 6 3 38 3   25 23     .361
1999 SAL SAVANNAH   7 25 3 6 1 0 1 2 0   1 3     .240
2000 SAL SAVANNAH   139 512 66 153 32 2 10 77 31   62 53     .299
2001 TL TULSA   68 272 50 89 18 4 11 61 3   39 38     .327
2001 FSL PORT CHARLOTTE   63 237 46 90 19 1 7 47 7   26 31     .380
2002 PCL OKLAHOMA   95 387 63 119 32 1 8 62 2   34 61     .307
2002 AL RANGERS $200.00 49 147 16 31 8 0 3 17 0 0 20 43 .306 .327 .211
2003 AL RANGERS $303.00 143 567 89 170 33 3 29 90 2 3 44 97 .350 .522 .300
2004 AL RANGERS $500.00 159 624 107 172 38 3 32 110 2 2 75 149 .355 .500 .276
2005 AL RANGERS $850.00 161 647 80 170 34 0 25 92 1 0 51 132 .318 .431 .263
2006 AL RANGERS $3,050.00 152 591 76 157 26 3 16 89 1 0 51 98 .325 .401 .266
2007 AL RANGERS $4,800.00 58 208 32 61 16 3 10 33 4 1 21 38 .358 .543 .293
2008 AL RANGERS $6,000.00 65 258 37 74 19 1 12 38 1 0 19 40 .338 .508 .287
2008 PCL OKLAHOMA   2 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1   .400 .400
2008 TL FRISCO   6 19 5 8 3 0 0 4 1 0 4 5   .579 .421
2009 AL RANGERS $6,200.00 123 462 62 108 21 4 25 66 2 0 26 108 .277 .459 .234
2010 AL RAYS   26 63 8 16 3 0 1 7 1 1 6 15 .319 .349 .254
2010 IL DURHAM   26 109 18 38 5 0 4 24 2 0 10 19 .405 .505 .349

  • His name is actually "Hank," not "Henry." Asked to explain, Blalock said, "I have no idea. My name is 'Hank Joe' on my birth certificate and my little brother's name is 'Jake Willie.' Usually it's 'Jacob,' or 'Henry,' or 'Joseph.' I guess they just liked to keep it plain and simple."

  • Blalock comes from a baseball-oriented family in Southern California. Hank's Dad, Dana, was an all-county basketball player in San Diego and one of the county's all-time leading scorers. (Dana Blalock spent all his adult life in the cabinet-making business.) Dana coached Hank until Hank's uncle took over in high school.

  • Hank is a product of national baseball powerhouse Ranch Bernardo High School in San Diego. His uncle, Sam was his coach at Rancho Bernardo. When Hank was just nine years old he began attending baseball camps run by his uncle. All the time he was growing up he was playing lots of baseball games.

  • Hank's younger brother, Jake, is in the Phillies organization. "We loved baseball, but my parents didn't push us toward it," Blalock said. "They were real cool about letting us decide what we wanted to do."

  • Though he is sure of his ability now, the confidence was not always there, not when he was five years old and living in the suburbs of San Diego. His father, Dana, was pitching to him and hit Blalock in the face.

    "It was an accident," Blalock said. "But he hit me in the face and for a while I was scared of the ball. Instead, I wanted to be a pitcher."

    So he turned the backyard picnic table on its side, drew a strike zone on it and worked on becoming a pitcher; his love for baseball still there at a young age.

    "I'd pretend I was Fernando Valenzuela striking out everybody," Blalock said. He would eventually get over his fear of the baseball and go from pretending to be Valenzuela to copying Tony Gwynn, the San Diego Padres' hitting star. "I was never very big," Blalock said. "I was always smaller than my friends, so I would try to be Tony Gwynn. I didn't have power, so I would spray the ball and try to hit it through holes."

  • Asked how he became a lefthanded hitter who throws righthanded, Hank said, "I have no idea. I kicked left footed, too, when I used to play soccer. I did the extra points for my Pop Warner team. I bat left and kick left. I do everything else right. I have no idea how that worked out."

  • Baseball was his passion, although there was a period when he wanted to be a firefighter and there was also a flirting infatuation with skateboarding.

  • Asked his favorite player when he was a kid, Hank said, "Tony Gwynn is No. 1 for me. Just being from San Diego and going to Padres games when I was younger, I just really admired the work he did around the community. He was always doing autograph sessions and just about everything he could do. That's why they call him Mr. Padre."

  • Blalock caught the eye of Rangers' area scout Jim Lentine. The club drafted him in the third round and he got a bonus of $288,000 to sign. "The Rangers and Jim Lentine were in my home twice," Hank recalled. "They were the only team that showed a real interest, so I figured they'd take me." He said that while college was an option, if he was taken in the first 15 round of the draft, he was signing.

  • Hank is quiet, intense with just a touch of grit. "He's so understated in what he does and how he does things," Rangers general manager John Hart said. "He's not one of these Hollywood guys. I think when people look at Hank Blalock, especially now, they see a baseball player in the very way they imagine they should be."

    FAMILY

  • Asked how he met his wife, Misty, Blalock said, "We were friends in high school and then we didn't start dating until I came back from my first full season in minor league baseball. So, the end of 2000, beginning of 2001, we started dating."

    Asked how he and his wife are different, Hank said, "She's very outgoing, I might be a little more laid back, so that's how we get along real well."

  • On August 18, 2004, Hank and Misty welcomed their first child, Trey Ryan, into the world.

  • On September 6, 2007, Hank's wife, Misty, gave birth to the couple's second son. Lucas Joe Blalock weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces and joined Trey Ryan in the Blalock lineup.

  • He watches some TV and movies. "I always like to watch the funny sitcoms like "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." I always like catching a "Saved By the Bell" episode if they're ever on and I like all kinds of movies. I think my favorite movie -- I like that movie "Training Day." I thought that "Old School" movie was pretty funny. Stuff like that."

  • In November 2006, the Rangers announced the Hank Blalock No. 9 All-Star Scholarship, a program created to financially assist one high school junior in the Arlington Independent School District who chooses to attend an institution of higher learning.

  • Blalock donated a $10,000 scholarship to one student in 2005-2006 school year. The scholarship was created "in order for Blalock to give back to the Arlington community that supports the Rangers while providing an opportunity for an AISD junior to attend an institution of higher learning in pursuit of a chosen career."

    "It was very important to me that the recipient of the scholarship be a high school junior," Blalock said. "I want this student to be able to go into their final year of high school knowing that they have the ability to take their education to the next level. This scholarship program allows me to make a difference in a student's life, and I am extremely honored to be a part of this process."

    Students will be required to complete an application and submit an essay entitled "How the Hank Blalock Scholarship will help me in preparing for my future." The essay will account for 80 percent of the selection process. The remaining 20 percent will be based on school and community recommendations. A committee of nine representing each AISD high school campus will screen the applications and select five finalists. Blalock will then personally pick the winner from those 45 applicants. The deadline for submission is February 24, 2006.

    The recipient of the scholarship and his/her parents will be invited to a Texas Rangers day game followed by dinner with Blalock. He will personally present the scholarship during dinner.

  • June 20, 2010: Hank went home to San Diego to be with his wife for the birth of their child, Grace, on Father's Day.

    TRANSACTION REPORT

  • June 1999: The Rangers drafted Hank in the third round, out of Rancho Bernardo High School in California. 

  • February 2004: Blalock signed a 5-year, $15.25 million contract with the Rangers. The pact called for salaries of $500,000 for 2004 and $800,000 for 2005 before making big jumps in the final three years of the deal.

  • November 7, 2008: The Rangers picked up their $6.2 million option on Hank.

  • November 5, 2009: Blalock filed for free agency.

  • March 9, 2010: Hank signed with the Rays.

  • June 29, 2010: The Rays released Blalock, rather reluctantly, to make room for Gabe Kapler off the D.L.

    "This guy is a real pro, I thought he did a great job for us in the clubhouse," Maddon said. "His work ethic is spectacular. I wish I had a longer time to work with this fellow, because he's an interesting young man. He made a really good impression on all of us."

PERSONAL:
 

  • Blalock is a significant run-producing hitter. He is a highly polished pure hitter with excellent bat control and knowledge of the strike zone. He hits line drives all over the park with power to the gaps. He normally has a real sweet, picturesque lefthanded swing.

  • Hank has a good ability to recognize pitches. In fact, he can adjust not just from at-bat to at-bat but from pitch-to-pitch. He is an intelligent, disciplined hitter. He stays back on offspeed pitches and hits the ball where it is pitched.

  • He uses a short, quick stroke to really hammer that baseball. He can wait back on off-speed pitches.The natural lift in his swing and excellent bat swing enable him to hit home runs.

  • In 1999, he won the Gulf Coast League batting championship with a .361 average.

  • In June 2001, Hank became the first player in minor league history to hit for the cycle twice in one week. He accomplished the feat on June 26 and 28, for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers (TL-Rangers). Blalock went on to lead all of minor league baseball in batting average. He was named the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Year for 2001. And Baseball America rated him the number one prospect in the Texas League that year.

  • After the 2001 season, Hank tied the Arizona Fall League's all-time record with 11 homers. And his slugging percentage of .713 shattered the mark of .685 set by Ryan Jackson a few years before.

  • On July 15, 2003, Blalock hit a home run late in the game off Dodger Eric Gagne to win the All Star Game for the American League.

  • Nate Espy, hitting coach in the Padres' system noted that Blalock has "the hitter's mentality: my stuff against your stuff."

  • Hank should hit 25-35 home runs per season. But he said, "I don't consider myself a home run hitter. When I'm going good, I'm spraying the ball all around," Blalock said. "I'm hitting to the gaps, staying alive in an at-bat until the pitcher throws something I want."

  • Blalock's approach at the plate was much better in 2003. As a rookie, he wouldn't wait out a pitcher, not going deep enough in the count. And he no longer is seduced into trying to be a pull-power hitter, a trap that contributed to a rookie slump that eventually sent him back to Triple-A with a .211 average last year.

  • "Maybe what impresses me most is how he doesn't over-think at the plate," said Seattle's Edgar Martinez, one of the game's best hitters. "This kid knows how to let his ability take over, and that's kind of unusual."

  • Rangers manager Buck Showalter is impressed with Blalock's mental makeup. "He's confident, but not brash," Showalter said of his second-year player. "He's got a real nice mix between respect and confidence."

    BREAKDOWN VS. RIGHTIES AND LEFTIES

  • In 2003, the lefthanded hitting Blalock slammed righthanded pitchers for a .329 average and 26 homers in 428 at-bats. But he still hadn't figured out lefthanders, managing only a .209 mark and 3 homers in 139 at-bats against them.

  • In 2004, Hank hit .282 with 5 home runs in 195 at-bats against lefthanded pitchers, and .273 with 27 homers in 429 at-bats vs. righthanded pitching. He had a good season, but was very inconsistent. 

    He hit .337 in April and .236 in May. June was his best month, as Blalock hit .367 with nine home runs and 24 RBI. Then came July, when he hit .190 with three home runs and 17 RBI. 

    He hit .343 with runners in scoring position last year -- fifth best in the American League for players with at least 100 at-bats in those situations. He was also fourth in the American League with 27 go-ahead RBI and seventh in the league with 13 game-winning RBI.

  • In 2005, Blalock hit only .196 with 8 home runs in 194 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, but .291 with 17 home runs in 453 at-bats against righthanders.

  • In 2006, Hank only managed a .216 average with 3 home runs in 162 at-bats off lefthanders, but a .284 average with 13 home runs in 429 at-bats vs. righthanded pitching.

  • In 2007, Blalock hit .298 in 47 at-bats against lefthanded pitching, and .292 with all 10 of his home runs in 161 at-bats vs. righthanders.

  • In 2008, Hank hit .283 with 6 home runs in 83 at-bats vs. lefties, and .291 with 6 home runs in 175 at-bats against righthanded pitchers.

  • In 2009, Blalock hit just .221 with 6 home runs in 131 at-bats off lefthanders, and .239 with 19 homers in 331 at-bats off righthanders.

  • Entering the 2011 season, Blalock had a career batting average of .269, with 153 home runs and 542 RBI in 3,567 at-bats.
BATTING:
 

  • Hank is fundamentally sound at third base. He has an above average arm, quick feet, and improved footwork around the bag.

  • In 2001, he was named the Florida State League's best defensive third baseman by managers surveyed by Baseball America.

  • He played shortstop in high school.
  • In 2002, he played four games at second base. And he has the tools to be a good left fielder.

  • Hank never takes a bad at-bat back to the field with him.

  • In 2005, Blalock tied a Ranger club record with a 53-game errorless streak and finished second among Major League third basemen with an AL leading .973 fielding percentage.

  • While on the D.L with a partially torn left hamstring and rehabbing in extended spring training in May, 2008, Hank worked out at first base.

    Blalock had never played first base. He was a shortstop when drafter, then was moved to third base. His only experience on the right side of the diamond was four games at second base in 2003, his first full season in the majors.

    But the Rangers lineup needed help. Brad Wilkerson, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Frank Catalanotto, Chris Shelton, Ben Broussard and Jason Botts all played at first since Mark Teixiera was traded to Atlanta. They batted a combined .212 with 42 RBIs in 102 games.
FIELDING:
 

  • Hank steals one or two bases a year.
RUNNING:
 

  • June 2002: Blalock played despite bone chips in his right elbow. He avoided surgery that would've ended his season. But it made it difficult for Hank to get extension on pitches on the inner half of the plate.

  • October 2, 2006: Hank had surgery on his right shoulder, performed by Dr. Keith Meister. Blalock had some wear and tear in his shoulder.

  • May 16-September 1, 2007: Blalock had shoulder discomfort. On May 21, 2007, Hank had a rib removed. Doctors diagnosed him with thoracic outlet syndrome, which affects the nerves that pass through the shoulder into the neck. (The word "thoracic" means lung. Hank's is in the thoracic cavity -- the area which encases the lungs). The surgery, by Dr. Greg Pearl of Dallas, was to remove a rib on the right side of his upper chest. Recovery was put at 10 to 12 weeks.

  • April 25, 2008: Hank suffered a small tear his left hamstring while rounding first base on a double in the 10th inning of a 6-5 Rangers' win. He went on the D.L. Blalock received an injection of anti-inflammatory medication.

    And then, on May 23, 2008, he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, one year and two days after undergoing surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

    "I feel like I lead the league in syndromes," Blalock said. The CT was causing pain and numbness in his right wrist and keeping him from being activated off the disabled list.

    Blalock received a cortisone injection on to battle inflammation and soreness from the C.T. on May 27.

    May 30, 2008: Hank underwent carpal tunnel relief surgery on his right wrist, by Dr. Tom Diliberti. At that point, it was said that Blalock would miss at least three more weeks.

    June 22-July 18, 2008: Blalock bruised his right hand diving for a ball in a game while on a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma. The injury was minor, but delayed Hank from being activated with the Rangers for another month.

  • July 29-August 22, 2008: Blalock was back on the D.L.

CAREER INJURY REPORT:
 
 
Last Updated 5/9/2019 7:24:00 PM. All contents © 2000 by Player Profiles. All rights reserved.