JULY 9th: The Rays officially released Blalock, according to MLB.com's transactions page. You can now find him on our list of 2010 free agents.
JUNE 29th: The Rays designated Hank Blalock for assignment, according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter). Gabe Kapler returns from the disabled list tomorrow, so the Rays can afford to part with Blalock. They promoted him in mid-May, just as Pat Burrell's disappointing stint in Tampa was coming to an end. But after tearing through Triple A pitching early on in the season, Blalock hit just one homer and posted a .254/.319/.349 line in the majors.
Blalock, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Rays in March. He makes $925K plus incentives, but even at that salary, it would be a surprise to see a team claim him. Instead, Blalock could be traded or released within the next ten days.
The White Sox have been relying on Mark Kotsay to DH and could use depth at third. Blalock could be a consideration, but he may not be the answer since he has hit righties better than lefties in his career, much like Kotsay. The Twins could look to improve over Danny Valencia and the Angels could use corner infielders, but there's no guarantee either team believes in Blalock's bat or his ability to defend. Blalock was mostly a DH for the Rays, though he did appear at first, third and in right.
Will be signed by the angels for the minimum very soon.
Good. The Angels can have him.
Couldn’t agree more
I could see the White Sox giving this guy a shot over Andruw Jones or Mark Kotsay. Kotsay, especially… especially now that Viciedo could take his 1B reps.
Good. The Angels can have him. The White Sox need something better.
Good. The Angels can have him. The White Sox need to set their sights higher.
There isn’t anything out there that is better at the moment in terms of a 3B. Tejada might be the only other option, but you would still have to give up prospects for him. So Hank is the best option without giving anything up
What about the Phillies? They are in need of somebody who can play third with a little pop in their bat to help fill the void of C. Utley in their line-up.
He has Angels written all over him. Although Fradsen has been playing well the Halo’s have been trotting out pure garbage lately on the offensive side of the ball.
totally agree with you
He has Angels written all over him. Although Fradsen has been playing well the Halo’s have been trotting out pure garbage lately on the offensive side of the ball.
whitesox, sign this guy right now and ship mark kotsay out of town NOW, he is already hitting better than kotsay, has much more power and younger, give him a shot now!!!!
whitesox, sign this guy right now and ship mark kotsay out of town NOW, he is already hitting better than kotsay, has much more power and younger, give him a shot now!!!!
Alright Angels, time to go get him. Put him in AAA, then if Maicer isn’t healthy or Frandsen/Wood can’t get it done, promote him. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t an Angel soon.
Id rather see him than Jones or Kotsay but how good can Jones or Blalock be without HGH.
First off, learn how to use proper grammar. Also, just because Andruw Jones gained 30 pounds and injured his knee in his final season with the Braves doesn’t mean he used HGH. It means he got out of shape and never really put in the effort to get back into elite playing shape. He got back into better shape last off season and was playing great until he injured his neck this season. Unless you have medical evidence, Andruw was as clean as Chipper…
What ever happened to Blalock?