GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Tony Blanco Jr. certainly looks the part. As the 6-foot-7, 243-pounder strides into the box, wearing the same No. 99 made famous by this generation’s preeminent slugger, it seems he’s capable of the old axiom of “hitting the cover off the ball” every time he coils up and gets ready to unleash a hack.
Then he makes contact and there’s often a sound that very few hitters — at any level — can produce.
On consecutive days during the second week of the Arizona Fall League season, Blanco crushed a 464-foot homer and ripped a 120.4 mph double for the Salt River Rafters, the longest and hardest-hit balls on the circuit this year.
“Just beyond the baseball stuff, he’s a great human being, a good kid who works hard. His aptitude’s really high,” said Salt River manager Eric Patterson, who also served as Triple-A Indianapolis’ bench coach this past season in the Pittsburgh organization. “The work ethic is off the charts. He comes to the park prepared every day, and especially for being one of the younger guys in the league, I think the moment’s not too big for him.”
The distance Blanco can hit the ball is undoubtedly astounding. But it’s the velocity at which it comes off the bat that puts the 20-year-old — the eighth-youngest prospect in the AFL — in especially rarefied air. That double from Oct. 17 put him in a class — hitters to have reached or exceeded 120.4 mph exit velocity during in-game action — which only six big leaguers during the Statcast era (2015-25) can claim to be a part of:
Giancarlo Stanton (16 times)
Oneil Cruz (6 times)
Aaron Judge
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Ronald Acuña Jr.
Gary Sánchez
Maybe it’s fitting that these seven exit velocities titans are grouped together, considering they’re all Fall League alumni. The premier prospect circuit has Statcast technology equipped at all six of its primary parks for the first time in 2025, helping provide even more insight into the stars of tomorrow.
Blanco holds three of the top 20 exit velocities in the Fall League. His average EV is 93.1 mph, tied for 16th highest in the circuit.
It all has largely been a continuation of Blanco’s regular-season performance for Single-A Bradenton, during which he posted each of the Florida State League’s top six exit velocities — and 11 of the top 25 — despite playing in only 28 games.
All of this begs the question: What’s it like to be down at field level when Blanco runs into one?
Rafters teammate and fellow Pirates prospect Esmerlyn Valdez says simply, “It’s crazy, man.”
Patterson, who played with Hall of Famers Adrian Beltre, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas during his big league career, says, “The sound off the bat is different.”
“When I hit those, I don’t feel anything,” said Blanco via interpreter Omar Aguilar, who serves as Salt River’s strength and conditioning coach. “I don’t feel anything off the hands. I just feel that I hit it and that’s it.”
Twenty years before Blanco Jr. began to rewrite the Fall League Statcast record books, his father, Tony Blanco Sr., suited up for the then-Peoria Saguaros. A 2004 Futures Game participant, the elder Blanco enjoyed a 17-year career in pro ball, primarily in Japan.
The younger Blanco finds himself on hand in Arizona largely as a means of making up for lost at-bats at the start of the season. A hamstring injury delayed the start of his year until mid-July but he also dealt with tragedy off the field after his father passed away in April during an accident in the Dominican Republic.
Over parts of four Minor League seasons, Blanco has still only received 362 at-bats. While his performance has been solid (.802 OPS), the 20-year-old is still largely a blank slate in the box. His eye-popping power exploits have earned him notoriety thus far, but he’s aware that his ultimate goal — reaching the big leagues, like his father did in 2005 — will require more than oohs and aahs when looking at his Baseball Savant page.
“I’m focusing on practicing to try to hit every kind of pitch,” said Blanco. “I’m very thankful to God because the start of the year was a little bit of a struggle. But I’ve been figuring it out.”
“He plays the game kind of free, isn’t afraid to let it fly,” said Patterson. “He obviously has tremendous power potential. But I also think he’s got a chance to be a really good hitter as well. It’s not just the homers. I think he’s got a chance to be a complete hitter.”
That’s why prospects are tabbed for the Fall League, after all. Hitters are tasked with facing upper-level pitchers who oftentimes have better velo, sharper breaking stuff and an all-around more comprehensive approach to attacking their opponents in the box than what lower-level batters see during the regular season. Blanco has noted that he’s been impressed by the arms he’s faced — even as he’s continued to hammer a lot of what they throw.
That aforementioned 464-foot homer came against a down-and-away slider that wouldn’t have been a strike, which he pulled far up onto the berm in left-center field. It’s just one swing and one outcome, but it’s also indicative of what could still be to come for the Pirates’ No. 30 prospect.
“He has a really good idea of what he’s doing,” said Patterson. “Obviously there’s some things he needs to fine-tune, but he’s definitely on the right track for sure.”
