Baseball in Fort Wayne

Former Fort Wayne Wizards first baseman and designated hitter, Kyle Blanks has taken the top spot in Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet:

Why He’s Here: .480/.536/.960 (12-for-25), 3 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBIs, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 SO
The Scoop: It may be a lost season in San Diego, where the Padres have long been out of contention and unloaded Greg Maddux up the street to the Dodgers. But in the Padres system there are some encouraging storylines and they begin with Blanks, the 6-foot-6, 281-pound hoss who was a 2004 draft-and-follow from Yavapai (Ariz.) JC.

Blanks’ big week was highlighted by his 6-RBI, 5-for-7 showing Wednesday against Frisco. In that game, he ripped a double and two home runs, including the walk-off winner in the 12th inning.

Just 21, Blanks owns the eighth-best average (.313) in the Texas League as he has shown he is not a think-homer-first kind of basher. And look at his 91 RBIs. They are second, behind 25-year-old Tommy Everidge’s 108 and ahead of three others who are in their mid-20s. His 140 hits also are third-best in the league and, cementing his status has to be his home average. It’s .328, in a ballpark hardly known to be kind to hitters. Blanks’ defense also has not been lost on Texas League managers, who like his nifty foot work at first base (he’s committed five errors).

Former Wizards center fielder, Cedric Hunter also made the list at number 13 while possible future Wizard (or Fort Wayne player anyway), Jeff Decker landed number 11 for his performance in the Rookie-Level Arizona League.

This list is not a re-ranking of BA’s Top 100 Prospects. It’s a snapshot of who are the hottest prospects in baseball at a given time.

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