The San Francisco Giants and Kyle Blanks agreed to another minor-league contract this past October after he missed the entirety of 2016 recovering from an Achilles injury. Unfortunately for Blanks, injuries have become the norm for his career rather than the exception.
Forty-one rounds had passed in the 2004 MLB Draft before the San Diego Padres selected Blanks with the 1241st overall pick out of Yavapai College in Arizona, which also produced Hall of Fame candidate Curt Schilling. Blanks tore up collegiate pitching during his one and only season with the Roughriders, batting .426 with a clean OPS of 1.