Minor League Career
Blanton was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round (24th overall) on the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft, In 2003, while pitching for the Kane County Cougars and the Midland RockHounds, he ranked second in all of minor league baseball with a combined 174 strikeouts.
The next season, Blanton helped the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats win the Pacific Coast League with an 11–8 record and a 4.19 ERA. He struck out 143 batters in 176 innings, tossing one complete game in 26 starts.
Read more about this topic: Joe Blanton
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