Baseball Somerset Patriots Sign Atlantic League All-Star Catcher Mike Blanke by Somerset Patriots July 17, 2018 Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots have announced the signing of catcher Mike Blanke for the 2018 season. He will be active for Tuesday night’s game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Blanke enters his first season with the Patriots and fourth in the Atlantic League. He played two full seasons with the Long Island Ducks in 2015-16, and spent two months with the Blue Crabs last year. Blanke was an Atlantic League All-Star with the Ducks in 2015, and finished the season hitting .282 with nine home runs and 43 RBI. Originally a 14th-round selection in the 2010 MLB Draft, Blanke spent the first five seasons of his professional career with the Chicago White Sox organization. He showcased the ability to be a power-hitting catcher when he hit 10 home runs and recorded 50 RBI in 91 games with High-A Winston-Salem in 2012. Blanke also excelled defensively that year, throwing out 41% of baserunners. Blanke converted to a pitcher in 2014 for a season, before converting back to a catcher prior to signing with the Long Island Ducks. He was an exciting prospect coming out of the University of Tampa, where he hit .377 in his final year with nine home runs and 65 RBI to go along with a 1.068 OPS. The Canadian native began his 2018 season with the Ottawa Champions of the Can-Am Professional League, where he compiled a .425 on-base percentage over 22 games. Originally born in Granby, Quebec, Blanke becomes the second Canadian-born player on the 2018 roster, joining pitcher Dustin Molleken. Blanke has 62 home runs and 316 RBI over his nine-year professional career. The 2018 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford is underway and features the team’s 20th Season at TD Bank Ballpark. The team has clinched a playoff spot already by winning the 2018 Liberty Division First Half Championship. For tickets, visit www.somersetpatriots.com. About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 38 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 900 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment. For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com. Post Views: 1,881 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Somerset Patriots Latest posts by Somerset Patriots (see all) Somerset Patriots Announce Added Programming On Radio Partner 1450 WCTC-AM - May 7, 2020 Somerset Patriots Bring Back All-Star RHP David Kubiak - April 7, 2020 Somerset Patriots Land Eight-Year Major Leaguer Vance Worley - March 27, 2020 Somerset Patriots Acquire Major League LHP Pat Dean - March 10, 2020 Related Topics2018 SeasonAtlantic LeagueLong Island DucksMike BlankePlayer SigningsSomerset PatriotsTD Bank Ballpark Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 113: New York Post Columnist Phil Mushnick (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 29, 2021 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Is Manny Machado on his way to Philadelphia? New York Moment – The Flip