Henry Blanco

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**Henry Blanco**

Chicago Cubs — No. 24
Catcher
Born: August 29, 1971 (1971-08-29) (age 36) Caracas, Venezuela
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
July 25, 1997 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Batting average	.223
Home runs	49
Runs batted in	229
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1997) Colorado Rockies (1999) Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2001) Atlanta Braves (2002-2003) Minnesota Twins (2004) Chicago Cubs (2005-present)

Henry Ramón Blanco (born August 29, 1971 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball catcher and right-handed batter who plays in the National League for the Chicago Cubs.

A backup catcher most of his career, Blanco also played with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1997), Colorado Rockies (1999), Milwaukee Brewers (2000-2002), Atlanta Braves (2003) and Minnesota Twins (2004). Before the 2005 season, Blanco signed a two-year, US$2.7 million contract with the Cubs to be their backup catcher. After the 2006 season, Blanco renewed his contract for two years with a mutual option for 2009.

Blanco is often is regarded as one of the better defensive catchers, making up for his weak hitting. He is a good handler of pitchers and game caller, and he is quick behind the plate and is good at knocking down pitches in the dirt, but his arm is what brought him to the Major Leagues. In the 2000 season Blanco threw out 59 percent of attempted stealers. That was the highest percentage for a catcher since 1982, when California Angels' Bob Boone posted a 56.4 percent success rate. Throughout his career, he has thrown out more than 40 percent of opposing base stealers.

In the batter's box, Blanco is a weak hitter, and usually bats at the bottom of the lineup. At 224 pounds, he is more valued for his occasional power and excellent defense.

In the 2006 Caribbean World Series, he had a walkoff hit off the top of the opposing shortstop's head in the championship game to give the Venezuelan team the championship.

Through May 30, 2008, Blanco is a career .225 hitter with 50 home runs and 233 RBI in 708 games. His career batting average is lowest among active players with 1000 or more at-bats.

He is a cult favorite among Cub fans, among whom he is often affectionately termed "Hank White" by announcer Len Kasper.^{[citation needed]}