Larvell Blanks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Larvell Blanks |
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| Infielder | |||
| Born: January 28, 1950 Del Rio, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 19, 1972, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 3, 1980, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .253 | ||
| Home runs | 20 | ||
| Runs batted in | 172 | ||
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Larvell Blanks was born on January 28, 1950. He is an American former professional baseball player. He played as an infielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). His career lasted from 1972 to 1980. He played for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers.
Larvell comes from a family of athletes. His uncle Sid played American football. His cousin, Lance, was a professional basketball player. Lance was also the general manager for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. Lance's daughter, Riley, played tennis at the University of Virginia. Larvell Blanks lives in Del Rio, Texas, today.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Larvell Blanks was born in Del Rio, Texas. He was one of eight children. When he was twelve, he played in the 1962 Little League World Series. He played for the Val Verde County Little League team.
Besides baseball, Larvell also played basketball and ran track. He was a quarterback for his high school football team. After high school, the Atlanta Braves picked him in the third round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft.
Larvell was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in his first professional season. He played for the Magic Valley Cowboys. During this time, his teammates gave him the nickname "Sugar Bear". This was because of his strong way of hitting the ball. After four seasons in the minor leagues, he joined the major leagues. This happened when Braves player Rico Carty was injured.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Time with the Atlanta Braves
Larvell Blanks played many positions in the infield during his minor league career. In 1972, he mainly played second base for the Braves. He started his first month in the major leagues with a great batting average of .415. He finished the season with a .329 average.
The Braves traded their regular second baseman, Félix Millán, after the season. This seemed to open a spot for Larvell. But then the Braves got Davey Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles. So, in 1973, Larvell spent the first two months as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. He was then sent to the Triple-A team, the Richmond Braves.
Larvell played two seasons in Richmond. He hit .261 with twenty home runs and 82 runs batted in. He was called back up to the major leagues in September 1974. In 1975, Larvell became the starting shortstop. He hit .234 with three home runs and 38 RBIs. He made 27 errors that season. On December 12, 1975, Larvell was traded twice. First, he went to the Chicago White Sox. Then, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians.
Time with the Cleveland Indians
Larvell Blanks played a lot for the Cleveland Indians in 1976. He played as a middle infielder. He hit .280 with five home runs and 41 RBIs in his first season in Cleveland. He felt he should be the starting shortstop. However, the manager, Frank Robinson, preferred Frank Duffy because he was better at fielding.
There were some disagreements between players and manager Robinson. Robinson was later replaced by Jeff Torborg during the 1977 season. Larvell's playing time increased under the new manager. On July 8, he hit two home runs in one game against the Toronto Blue Jays. This was the only time he did that in his career. When the starting third baseman was injured, Larvell played third base for the rest of the season. He hit .329 with six RBIs in that role.
In Spring training 1978, Larvell won the starting shortstop job. He hit well in April, getting ten runs batted in. But he made ten errors in just one month. He was soon replaced at shortstop by Tom Veryzer.
Time with the Texas Rangers
Larvell Blanks was traded to the Texas Rangers on October 3, 1978. He played less often with the Rangers. He had only 138 times at bat, which was his lowest in a full major league season. After that season, he was traded back to the Atlanta Braves.
Later Career and Life After Baseball
Larvell's second time with the Braves in 1980 did not go well. He was released during the season with a .204 batting average. In 1981, he signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he decided to play in Mexico instead. He played for the Azules de Coatzacoalcos.
He played five seasons in the Mexican Baseball League before retiring. In 1989, he played for the Orlando Juice. This was a league for older professional players. Since then, he has taken up golfing. He even competes on the Golf Channel's Amateur Tour.
