Established

Former Cougar Blanton a model of consistency for A's

When Joe Blanton was pitching for the Kane County Cougars in 2003, he was touted as one of the top prospects in the Oakland organization.

Considered even back then as a workhorse who can win games and just as importantly eat up a ton of innings, the 27-year-old right-hander has not disappointed. Now in his fourth full big league season, Blanton has assumed the position of "ace" on the Athletics' staff.

With Rich Harden injured and Dan Haren traded to Arizona in the offseason, Blanton has found himself at the top of the A's rotation, typically squaring off against the opponent's best pitcher every five days.

So far this season, he has twice matched up with both Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka and Seattle phenom Felix Hernandez, and has also worked against AL Cy Young award winner C.C. Sabathia (Cleveland).

"It makes sure that you bring your 'A' game every day," he said. "When you are drawing pitchers like that who can throw up a bunch of zeroes against your team, there isn't any way you can slack off because one pitch can cost you a game."

Blanton began the season as the A's Opening Day starter, which this year came in Tokyo against Matsuzaka and the Red Sox. A week later he also started the home opener against Boston, again facing Dice-K.

While he had traveled to Europe in the past offseason, the trip to the Far East was definitely a whole new world.

"It was great to go over there and experience the culture, to get out and see things," he said. "Even the baseball side of it was a new experience."

Blanton has at times pitched better than his 2-5 record and 3.88 ERA might indicate. In his five losses, the A's have managed to score just 11 runs.

He threw a nice game in a recent outing against Hernandez and Seattle last Sunday night, picking up the win after tossing seven innings, giving up two runs and eight hits.

The win had a Kane County flavor to it as Santiago Casilla (who went by the name Jairo Garcia when he was a Cougar in 2004) tossed a scoreless eighth, while Huston Street (also a member of the 2004 team) came on for his eighth save.

Blanton may be off to a bit of a slow start, but if past performance is any indication, he will end the season the same as always: making all of his starts, notching double-digit wins and surpassing 200 innings on the mound.

In his first three seasons, he has averaged a solid 14 wins and 208 innings per season. In 2007 he won 14 games while leading the league in starts (34) and finishing second in innings pitched (230). He also struck out a career-high 140 hitters while walking a career-low 40.

"He is a model of consistency and he has been that since he got here," said Oakland pitching coach Curt Young. "What he has done here has been pretty special. He is our ace and we are comfortable with him on the mound, and he has turned into one of the leaders of our staff."

The rest of the league has taken notice as well. With Oakland dealing veteran players such as Haren and Nick Swisher, now with the White Sox, for young prospects, Blanton's name was mentioned several times in trade talks, both among the pennant contenders during the stretch run and over the winter.

"I look at trade rumors as just the business side of the game and a lot of the time nothing really comes out of them," he said. "I look at it as a positive, somebody wants you, whatever the case may be, and that's never a bad thing."

Selected as a first-round compensation pick (24th overall) out of the University of Kentucky in 2002, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder was assigned to Kane County to start the 2003 season.

He was only with the team through the middle of July, though, earning a promotion to Class AA Midland after going 8-7 with a 2.57 ERA in 21 starts, winning six of his last seven decisions. Though he was promoted with six weeks to go in the year, his 144 strikeouts led the Midwest League and is the 10th-highest season total in Cougars' history.

"It was a good time there, I had some great teammates and it was a great place to play in A-ball," Blanton said. "Around that league, Kane County is the best, the fans were great and it was an awesome place to play."

Blanton started 2004 at Class AAA Sacramento and went 11-8 before being called up to the big leagues on Sept. 18, making his debut against Texas three days later.

A member of the A's rotation to start the 2005 season, he lost his first five decisions before beating current Cub Ted Lilly and Toronto on June 4 to pick up the first of his 44 major league victories.

He finished that season with a 12-12 record, setting a team record for rookies for starts (33) and tying the club record for wins while finishing sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Now in his fourth full season, Blanton is one of the players being counted on to lead the A's, who are currently second in the AL West standings, in what might be shaping up as a very competitive division race.

"We know what we are going to get from him every fifth day," Young said. "The guy loves being out there, and has definitely grown into a quality big league pitcher.

"It's no accident what he is doing. He loves to play and is one of the hardest workers on the team. The day he pitches is the day he goes to work."