Joe Blanton

2013

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2012

Blanton was a major disappointment for anyone that took a chance on him last season. Always a reliable innings eater, Blanton finally succumbed to an arm injury that sidelined him for the majority of last season. When he finally returned, the Phillies used him in a relief role where he looked good in limited action. Blanton has never been a dominant pitcher, posting strikeout rates that are solid but not spectacular while keeping his walk rate at an acceptable level. Don't expect to see anything new from him this season. If he can stay healthy, he'll go every fifth day on a very good team making him a decent bet for double-digit wins.

2011

Looking at surface numbers alone it would appear that Blanton took a bit of a step back last season. His ERA rose nearly a full run to 4.82 but his FIP of 4.43 indicates he was essentially the same pitcher we saw in 2009. Blanton does not do a lot to help fantasy owners as his strikeout rate is average, and he tends to give up a lot of hits, which takes a toll on your WHIP. Blanton does have solid control, however, and can help your team with wins when he is pitching well. The key is figuring out when to start him and when to keep him on your bench - something that is easier said than done and now his future with the Phillies is in doubt following the re-acquisition of Cliff Lee.

2010

Blanton put together one of the better seasons of his career with the Phillies in 2009. His 7.5 K/9IP was the highest of his career and his walk rate dropped closer to his career average as well. Like many of the Phillies' starters, he also saw an increase in his home runs allowed and posted the highest home-run rate of his career (1.38 HR/9IP). We expect that ratio to decrease a bit this year and if Blanton can maintain the gains he made in his strikeout rate, he could be in line for a breakout year. If he can't, Blanton becomes a situational starter for most NL-only leagues and not worth paying attention to in shallow mixed leagues.

2009

Blanton, who experienced significant struggles in the first half of the 2008 season with Oakland, was better in the second half of the year after he was dealt to Philadelphia, though he still did not live up to the potential that he flashed in his successful 2007 campaign. Blanton finished his second-half stint with Philadelphia with a 4-0 record, 4.20 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 70.2 innings in his 13 starts with the team. While those numbers aren't jaw-dropping, he should enter the 2009 season as Philadelphia's No. 4 or 5 starter, though the Phillies have arms to take his place if he's much less effective than he was in 2008. Still, he could be worth a late-round flyer for his potential to win 15 games if he sticks in the rotation, and he has the ceiling to reach 18-plus wins with Philadelphia's powerful lineup as support if he can regain his 2007 form.

2008

Blanton's gaudy win totals (30 combined the past two years) aren't backed up by great peripherals, but he made tremendous strides in that respect in 2007. He showed marked improvement in both K/9IP and K/BB (3.5 K/BB after 1.73 and 1.84 the past two years), though he struggled a bit after the All-Star break. If the improved control is legit, he'll continue to be a nice fantasy option.

2007

Blanton failed to build upon his second half success from 2005, allowing a whopping 241 hits and 58 walks in 194.1 innings. His control has never been great, and he doesn't strike out many either, so there's some reason for concern here. There's not much here under the covers either that point to a turnaround.

2006

That Blanton sported a 13.25 ERA in May gives an idea of his dominance over the remainder of the season. He lacks the strikeouts of fellow starter Rich Harden, but his post-break numbers (2.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 69 K in 102 IP) are more than enough to earn him a spot among the AL elites.

2005

Blanton sported an excellent 143/34 K/BB ratio in 176 1/3 innings at Triple-A Sacramento before appearing in three games for the A's down the stretch. Oakland's top pitching prospect will be counted on for a spot at the top of the rotation after the trades of Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. A Rich Harden-like season of double-digit wins, a decent ERA and good strikeout totals awaits if he can make 30 starts.

2004

One of Billy Beane's Moneyball picks from the 2002 amateur draft. Blanton is next in line among A's pitching prospects now that Rich Harden is in the majors. He was solid in seven games at Double-A after tearing through Single-A. Mike Wood, John Rheinecker and Justin Duchscherer figure to have the early advantage on taking over as the A's fifth starter this spring following the trade of Ted Lilly, but Blanton could follow a Harden-like pattern and reach the majors by mid-season. His upside is considerably higher than the aforementioned A's farmhands.

2003