He wowed us with that in the park homerun and was the talk of the town! Kyle Blanks’ rookie year in 2009 then early 2010 has been a little up and down, but his power and potential piqued our curiosity. We started in the winter planning to do a One on One featuring this 6-foot-6 guy, who is a gentle giant. During Spring Training, photographer Jay Conner and I drove north of Phoenix to Prescott, Arizona to visit his college campus, meet his coach, and see where his professional baseball career began. You have to love baseball to start small like that, and Kyle does.
Once the Padres season began, we spent a few half-days with him at his downtown apartment: first, talking about his life story and second, cooking! He is quiet, but friendly, and very accommodating. He wanted to make sure I liked the pizza, letting me take the first taste. Along with his girlfriend Janet, and her dog Heinz, we had a couple of nice visits to learn about a guy who has great potential.
At the same time, he was struggling with an elbow injury. By the final few days of production, we talked with him about how he was feeling about that, and what might have to happen. Turns out, Tommy John surgery is the solution. So, how does that all factor in to the Padres puzzle? General Manager Jed Hoyer and Manager Bud Black share that they have great confidence in Kyle, that he will do the work required following the surgery, to get him back and ready to be the power guy at the plate that is so hard to find.
Knowing his background, and how he’s dealt with change in his past, will shed some light on how he will not only deal with this, but what he has to offer in his promising Big League career. I’m really glad we are all getting to know him now, and by continuing with the show and telling his story, it’s a good reminder that it sometimes is not an easy road in the beginning, but it is part of the game and life. That, my friends, can apply to all of us! Enjoy, and sorry you don’t get to taste the pizza. It really was good!
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