The next big power hitter

Every once in a while a player sneaks onto the big league stage and goes unnoticed for a short time. He can even fly under the radar longer if he plays for a small market club. It can be even more challenging if the team you play for plays in a difficult stadium to hit HR's in. So who is this relative unknown hitter that has all this potential?

Let me tell you a little bit about this player:

1. He is a right handed hitter from Pennsylvania
2. He attended a small community college in Arizona
3. He was born on 9/11 and will be 23 years old next month
4. He has been in the minors for the last three years and has been on many all star teams in the minors.
5. He has nine homeruns on the year, including an inside the park HR
6. He is 6'6" and 285 lbs.
7. In the last two weeks he has raised his batting average by 33 points
8. He has homered in 3 of his last 4 games.
9. He finally offers protection for Adrian Gonzalez
10. He is Kyle Blanks.

When he gets in the batters box he reminds me a lot of Adam Dunn. He is getting much more comfortable in the batters box and his numbers continue to go up. I am projecting that Blanks will finish the season with at least 15 HR and that next year he will be a 30 HR guy. Only time will tell but I love to watch this guy hit.

Jered Weaver continues to be a dominant pitcher. In his last start he threw another great game, with a nine inning shutout of the Cleveland Indians. His numbers are impressive with a 13-4 record on the season. His career record is now 48-23. Weaver's complete gave him 4 on the season. He now trails just Roy Halladay and Zach Greinke with 5, and ties with Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. He deserves to be mentioned among the elite pitchers in the bigs this year.

Jon Lester had another impressive outing as he manhandled the Blue Jays. That in itself is no major feat as it seems like everybody beats up on the hapless Jays. That being said, Lester pitched 8 solid innings of 3 hit ball. He did not put up his usual high strikeout numbers, but on this night he did not need to. His 10th win of the season and 37th of his career moved the Sox into the lead once again in the Wild Card standings.

It will be nice to see Anibal Snachez back on the mound tonight. Sanchez is a member of the no-hitter club, so he will indeed be a welcome addition for the Marlins as they try and make a run for the playoffs. He is a nice young pitcher to watch.